Reuters news agency reported, citing eight sources familiar with the details, that the Syrian government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa believed it had received a "green light" from the US and Israel to send forces to the Druze stronghold of As-Suwayda before doing so earlier this week – and misinterpreted how Israel would respond to such a move. According to them, this understanding was based on remarks by US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barak, who called for managing Syria as "one state" without autonomous regions, as well as on recent security talks between Jerusalem and Damascus. A Syrian military source said that American officials did not respond when updated about the Syrian plan to send forces to the south, leading the regime to believe it was "silently approved" and that Israel would not intervene.
