ISTANBUL

US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack expressed concern on Monday over renewed violence in Syria's Suwayda and Manbij regions, calling for calm and dialogue among all parties.

A Syrian security member was killed, and others were injured when outlaw groups led by Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri violated a ceasefire in southern Syria's Suwayda province on Sunday.

A rocket was also launched by YPG/PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on a military position in Manbij in the north, according to the state news agency SANA.

“Disturbing violence erupted yesterday in Suwayda and in Manbij. Diplomacy is the best way to stop violence and build a peaceful, lasting solution,” Barrack, who also serves as US Ambassador to Türkiye, said on his official X account.

The US envoy said Washington was “proud to have helped mediate a solution in Suwayda” and is currently “co-mediating with France the reintegration of the northeast into a unified Syria.”

He urged all sides to “uphold calm and resolve differences through dialogue, not bloodshed,” emphasizing that “Syria deserves stability” and “Syrians deserve peace.”

Suwayda has observed a ceasefire since July 19 following a week of armed clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes that left 426 dead, according to the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights.

Syria’s transitional administration, formed after Bashar al-Assad was ousted on Dec. 8, 2024, is working to restore stability across the country after nearly 25 years of authoritarian rule.