By Eyad Kourdi, Catherine Nicholls, Eugenia Yosef, Mostafa Salem and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

(CNN) — Israel carried out a series of powerful strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus Wednesday, escalating a campaign it says is in support of the country’s Druze population – an Arab minority group involved in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces.

The strikes, which Syria said killed at least three people in its capital, sent US officials scrambling to prevent a larger clash between the neighboring countries, with Syria agreeing to with withdraw its troops from the southern city of Suwayda and a new ceasefire deal with Druze militia in the area.

In a televised address to the nation early Thursday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the nation was faced with two options: either “an op

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