Following a dramatic Israeli airstrike on Syria’s General Staff Headquarters in Damascus, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio called the escalation a “misunderstanding” and claimed de-escalation could be just hours away. The strike came amid sectarian clashes in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, where Israel says it’s intervening to protect the Druze community.
With the death toll rising and fears of a broader conflict growing, the U.S. confirmed it is in continuous talks with both Syrian and Israeli officials. Meanwhile, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack condemned violence against civilians and called for immediate dialogue and a lasting ceasefire. Is this the brink of regional war—or a chance for diplomacy to prevail?
00:00We're on our way towards a real de-escalation and then hopefully get back on track.
00:12Well, I can't comment. I think I'll ask Marco to say a few words on Syria.
00:18Yeah, it's complicated, obviously. These are historic, long-time rivalries between different groups in the southwest of Syria, Bedouins, the Druze community.
00:28And it led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, it looks like, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side.
00:35So we've been engaged with them all morning long and all night long with both sides.
00:39And we think we're on our way towards a real de-escalation and then hopefully get back on track in helping Syria build a country
00:47and arriving at a situation there in the Middle East that's far more stable.
00:51So in the next few hours, we hope to see some real progress to end what you've been seeing over the last couple hours.
