Rubio urges end to Israeli strikes on Damascus

The United States is concerned about Israel's missile strikes on Damascus. Washington wants such attacks to stop, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, according to Anadolu correspondent Rabia Turan.
"We're very concerned about it... We want the fighting to stop because we had a ceasefire overnight, it broke down again. We're talking to both sides, all the relevant parties, on this, and hopefully can bring it to conclusion," Rubio told reporters.
The Secretary of State added that a ceasefire was in place between the conflicting sides earlier that night, but it collapsed.
Israeli strikes
On Wednesday, July 16, Israel launched strikes on Damascus. One of the targets was the headquarters of the Syrian General Staff, which was reportedly destroyed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision to strike Damascus was in response to clashes between Bedouins and Druze — a small ethnic and religious minority — in Syria's Suwayda province.
The incident occurred amid ongoing efforts by the United States to restore relations with Syria. Just a few weeks ago, President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on the country.
Additionally, the US removed the foreign terrorist organization designation from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is led by Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa.