ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the conflict in Syria needs to end immediately, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Saturday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has urged the United States to help bring an immediate end to the conflict in Syria. He spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Saturday. A source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed the details of the conversation.

The Syrian government has begun withdrawing its forces from the majority-Druze city of Suwayda, according to the country's state-run SANA news agency. A ceasefire with Druze militia has also been announced but it is "unclear" whether it will hold, said CNN.

A Syrian military official said correspondence with the US had led Damascus to believe it could deploy forces to Sweida without Israel confronting them.

The statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio follows after Israel launched powerful airstrikes in the heart of Damascus, claiming it was defending the minority Druze community. View on euronews

The post Rubio says ‘real de-escalation’ in Syria expected in coming hours appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Rubio said that steps must be taken by "all parties to deliver on commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do."

The leaders of Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire days after major Israeli strikes​, a U.S. envoy said Friday, as he urged all sides in war-torn Syria to lay down arms.