Death toll from Syria violence rises to 718

At least 718 people have been killed in Syria's Sweida province, a war monitor said Saturday in an updated toll for nearly a week of violence in the heartland of the Druze minority.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights counted 146 Druze fighters and 245 civilians among the dead since Sunday, 165 of whom "were summarily executed by personnel of the defence and interior ministries".

The violence also claimed the lives of 287 government troops and 18 Bedouin fighters, plus three Bedouin "who were summarily executed by Druze fighters", the Britain-based monitor added. Fifteen more government troops were killed in Israeli air strikes.

Meanwhile, Syria's internal security forces began deploying in Sweida, the country's interior ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.

Hours earlier, the US envoy announced that Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire after days of bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area.

Agencies