US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and "carrying out massacres" in the conflict-stricken south of the country.

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.

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.

The State Department condemned recent Israeli strikes in Syria, and Secretary Marco Rubio announced a U.S.-brokered agreement between Israel and Syria to end immediate violence.

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.

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

Speaking to reporters on July 16, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in the Oval Office for Trump's meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain, said the fighting was the result of “an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding.