U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the 58th meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and related meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, July 10, 2025. (Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP)
U.S. diplomatic chief Marco Rubio said he hoped for a “de-escalation” in southern Syria in the “next few hours,” speaking of a “misunderstanding” between Israel and Syria, following Israeli strikes against Damascus.
“We've been engaging with them all morning and all night, with both sides, and we think we're on the path to a real de-escalation,” Rubio said in the Oval Office alongside President Donald Trump and the Crown Prince of Bahrain.
“In the next few hours, we hope to see real progress,” he said, referring to “long-standing, historic rivalries between different groups in southwest Syria, the Bedouins, the Druze community and that has led to an unfortunate situation and misunderstanding, it seems, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side.”
U.S. diplomatic chief Marco Rubio said he hoped for a “de-escalation” in southern Syria in the “next few hours,” speaking of a “misunderstanding” between Israel and Syria, following Israeli strikes against Damascus.
“We've been engaging with them all morning and all night, with both sides, and we think we're on the path to a real de-escalation,” Rubio said in the Oval Office alongside President Donald Trump and the Crown Prince of Bahrain.
“In the next few hours, we hope to see real progress,” he said, referring to “long-standing, historic rivalries between different groups in southwest Syria, the Bedouins, the Druze community and that has led to an unfortunate situation and misunderstanding, it seems, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side.”
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