Defense Minister Israel Katz said southern Syria would remain a demilitarized zone despite Israel allegedly allowing Syrian forces a limited presence in Sweida.

Video showed government forces on the streets of a predominantly Druze city and smoke billowing across roads as gunfire sounded.

At the center of a crisis in Syria are the Druze — a secretive religious minority that long carved out a precarious identity across Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

The illegal crossings came around the announcement by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack that Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan, and regional partners. A group of Israeli-Druze civilians had crossed the border from Israel into Syria between Friday night to Saturday morning,

Amal As'ad slams Israeli overtures toward 'terrorist' who 'put on a suit and became a diplomat,' calls for Netanyahu to do more than make 'threats and statements'

Thomas Barrack, United States Special Envoy for Syria, announced on Friday that Israel and Syria agreed to a ceasefire seeking to resolve tensions between the two countries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized earlier this week rounds of heavy airstrikes against Syrian government targets and aimed to support Druze rebels,

Clashes that shook southern Syria this week have killed hundreds of people, including civilians, and drawn in an array of both local and international players, harking back to the dynamics of the country's nearly 14-year civil war.

Army says there were no further crossings overnight, is working to patch up holes in fence; Kurdish official urges Sharaa to rethink approach to minorities