The President's Office has announced an "immediate ceasefire" to stop the sectarian violence that has been going on for a week in the southern city of Suwayda in Syria.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported that 940 people have died in the violence that erupted between the local Bedouin and Druze communities since last Sunday. There was a shootout between the two communities on the road and dead bodies were seen scattered on the road.

"There is a need for unity at this moment and full cooperation is needed to overcome the crisis we are facing," said the interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shara. However, there is no certainty whether the ceasefire will last or not. Because unconfirmed reports have been received that the violence has not stopped even on Saturday. The cease-fire announcement came after Israel extended aid to the Druze community, while Syrian Internal Security Forces were stationed in Suwayda. While the Druze community of Suwayda believes in Shia Islam, they distrust the current government in Damascus. There are Druze minority communities in Syria, Israel and Lebanon.

Israel intervened earlier this week, attacking government-backed forces and the Defense Ministry building in Damascus and announcing its support for the Druze community. On Saturday, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed doubts about Shaara's new commitment to the protection of minorities in Syria. "Being a minority in Syria is very dangerous, and this has been repeatedly proven for the past 6 months," he said on social media, "The international community wants to ensure the safety and rights of minorities in Syria." Barak also informed about this on Saturday morning and said, "A ceasefire agreement has been reached between the Acting President of Syria Ahmed Al-Shara and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the initiative of the US." He said that this ceasefire was also supported by neighboring countries such as Turkey and Jordan. Writing on the social network 'X', he has also called on the Druze, Bedouin and Sunni communities to lay down their arms and build a peaceful and unified Syrian identity. "We call on the Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to lay down their arms and work together with other minorities to build a new Syrian identity in peace and prosperity," Barak said.

BBC's Middle East Correspondent Lina Sinzab, reporting from Syria, said that the violence against the Druze community is spreading across the country. A serious question has also been raised about the inability of Interim President Shara to control the clashes between the communities. Earlier this week, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said his office had received credible reports of widespread human rights violations and abuses in the clashes in Suwayda, including executions and arbitrary killings. The perpetrators of such incidents include members of the security forces, people affiliated with the interim government, and local Druze and Bedouin armed groups, Turk said. He warned and said, 'This bloodshed and violence must be stopped, everyone must be held accountable.' Earlier, with the mediation of the US, Sharaa withdrew troops from the Druze-dominated city of Sweida. But Sharaa's office has accused Druze fighters of breaking the ceasefire. On Friday evening, the Sharaa office informed that it is ready to send more security forces to Sweida again and urged all parties to exercise restraint. Meanwhile, Israel has announced to send relief materials (food and medicine) worth 600,000 dollars for the Druze of Sweida. According to analysts, such a move by Israel is a strategy to further weaken the Syrian army. According to