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Rubio Pledges to Consider Reviewing Terrorist Designations in Call with Syrian FM

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at a press conference with the Indo-Pacific Quad alongside, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (R) and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (L) at the State Department in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at a press conference with the Indo-Pacific Quad alongside, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (R) and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (L) at the State Department in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2025. (AFP)
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Rubio Pledges to Consider Reviewing Terrorist Designations in Call with Syrian FM

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at a press conference with the Indo-Pacific Quad alongside, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (R) and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (L) at the State Department in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at a press conference with the Indo-Pacific Quad alongside, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (R) and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (L) at the State Department in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2025. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to consider further action to review domestic and United Nations terrorist designations related to Syria in a call with that country's foreign minister on Thursday, the US State Department said in a statement.

Rubio discussed with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani previous US moves to remove sanctions on Syria, and pledged to maintain sanctions on “malign actors,” including Bashar al-Assad, his associates, and others who threaten Syrian and international security, said a State Department statement.

Rubio hoped that “together, these steps will mark the beginning of a new chapter for both the Syrian people and US-Syria relations.”

The officials also discussed other matters of shared concern, including countering terrorism, Iran, Israel-Syria relations, and destroying any remnants of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons program, added the statement.

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Syrian Presidency Pledges Specialized Force to Halt Clashes in Sweida

Smoke rises as a damaged car remains along a street, as Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence, at Sweida governorate, Syria, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Smoke rises as a damaged car remains along a street, as Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence, at Sweida governorate, Syria, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
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Syrian Presidency Pledges Specialized Force to Halt Clashes in Sweida

Smoke rises as a damaged car remains along a street, as Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence, at Sweida governorate, Syria, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Smoke rises as a damaged car remains along a street, as Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence, at Sweida governorate, Syria, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syria's presidency on Friday pledged to send forces to halt the clashes between Bedouin tribal factions and Druze fighters in Sweida, in the south of the country, and urged "restraint.”

In a statement, the presidency urged "all parties to exercise restraint and prioritize reason,” adding: "The relevant authorities are working on dispatching a specialized force to break up the clashes and resolve the conflict on the ground."

Damascus earlier this week dispatched government troops to quell the fighting, but they were hit by Israeli strikes before withdrawing under a truce agreed on Wednesday.

Israel had repeatedly said it would not allow Syrian troops to deploy to the country's south, but on Friday it said it would grant them a brief window to end renewed clashes there.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights said it had documented 321 deaths in fighting since Sunday, among them medical personnel, women and children.

Syria's minister for emergencies said more than 500 wounded had been treated and hundreds of families had been evacuated out of the city.