Syrian officials and Druze leaders have announced a new ceasefire after days of violent clashes, but Israel has continued its airstrikes after intervening.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed recent airstrikes on Syrian territory, targeting the Ministry of Defence due to violations in a demilitarised zone and attacks on the Druze community.

Dozens of Druze crowded the Israeli-controlled side of the armistice line in the occupied Golan Heights on Thursday, hoping to catch a glimpse of relatives on the Syrian-held side who might try to cross the barbed-wire frontier.

Syria's interior ministry and a Druze religious leader announce a fresh ceasefire, which so far appears to be holding, while government troops withdraw from a key city.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that protecting the country’s Druze citizens and their rights is a priority, as he announced that local leaders will take control of security in the city of Suwayda in a bid to end sectarian violence in the south and in the wake of deadly Israeli strikes in Damascus.

Israel has been carrying out strikes on Syria since the fall of the Assad regime last December. This week saw a major escalation, when Israel said it attacked Syria to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the center of clashes with government loyalists.

Syria's defense minister has announced a ceasefire just hours after government forces entered a key city in the volatile Sweida province.