The government announcement came hours after a top U.S. envoy to the region said that the country and Israel had agreed to a truce after sectarian-tinged clashes had left hundreds dead.

The move comes after days of clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in Suweida that have reportedly left hundreds dead.

Clan fighters gathered in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday to support Bedouin militants in their clashes with Druze armed factions in the southern province of Sweida despite calls for a ceasefire.

Nearly 80,000 people have been displaced by sectarian violence in southern Syria that began last week, the UN’s migration agency said Friday. In a statement, the International Organization for Migration said “79,

More than 300 people have been killed in tribal clashes in Syria between local military groups and tribes. Meanwhile, a temporary ceasefire was initially agreed upon after Israeli strikes on Syrian government forces,

South Africa condemns Israeli attacks on Damascus and its announcement that it will continue to occupy Southern Syria

In Syria, violence continued between rival factions even after a ceasefire deal. Government troops withdrew overnight from a region as Israel said it would not allow Syrian forces south of Damascus, extending its attempted control of the area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Syrian government troops will be blocked from the area south of the capital Damascus to protect the Druze minority following Israel's attacks in the country earlier this week.