Syria's president vows to protect Druze after Israel airstrikes

Syria's president has said protecting the rights of the Druze population is "our priority" after Israel warned it would destroy forces attacking the minority.

In a televised statement early today, Ahmed al Sharaa told the Druze "we reject any attempt to drag you into hands of an external party". Several hundred people have reportedly been killed this week in the south of Syria in violence involving local fighters, government authorities and Bedouin tribes.

Following the president's announcement and a ceasefire agreement, Syrian government forces on Thursday largely withdrew from the volatile southern province of Sweida. Under the terms of the agreement, Druze factions and clerics have been appointed to maintain internal security.

As the violence escalated in Sweida, Israel launched airstrikes, including attacks on Wednesday on the defence ministry in Damascus and a target near the presidential palace. Benjamin Netanyahu's government has pledged to "act resolutely against any terrorist threat on its borders".

The Druze population follow an offshoot of Islam and are estimated to number about one million, spread between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sharaa - Syria's interim leader after President Assad fled last year - gave a televised statement on Wednesday telling the Druze "we reject any attempt to drag you into hands of an external party".

"We are not among those who fear the war," he added. "We have spent our lives facing challenges and defending our people, but we have put the interests of the Syrians before chaos and destruction," said the president.

He also claimed Israel has "consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime". Israel has accused the Syrian regime of being barely disguised jihadists - despite warming ties with Western countries such as the UK and US.

Read more:Why Israel is getting involved in Syria's internal fighting?UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, as of Wednesday morning, more than 300 people had been killed in the flare-up of violence. Around 1,000 Druze people broke through a fence into southern Syria on Wednesday in a bid to help, according to The Times of Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu urged people not to cross into Syria and Israeli military chief of staff Eyal Zamir warned they would not "allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold". The UN Security Council will discuss the situation today, despite the US secretary of state saying yesterday that America had brokered an end to the violence.

"We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria," Marco Rubio said on social media. "We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight." The intervention appeared to have an immediate effect.

The situation was calm on Thursday morning, according to Reuters sources in the area..