Jawad Rizkallah

The Syrian army entered the Arab city of Tabqa early Sunday.

The city had been held by the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, since 2017 when they pushed ISIS out of it.

Fighting has lasted more than a week.

The SDF already withdrew from Aleppo suburbs and towns further east, leaving Tabqa as the last city they controlled west of the Euphrates River.

A local man speaking anonymously, fearing potential SDF reprisal,

said his cousins joined local Arab tribal fighters in attacking SDF positions before government forces entered.

We spoke to him as he was celebrating, quote, liberation at a central roundabout in the city.

Syrian state media later announced a ceasefire deal.

The SDF has yet to confirm.

Jawad Rizqallah, NPR News, Beirut.

The Israeli military says the three men were members of Hezbollah and attempting to reestablish the group's infrastructure, and that a review found one of those killed, quote, simultaneously served as a Lebanese army soldier in an intelligence unit.

The Lebanese army mourned the fallen soldier as a first sergeant in the military's anti-tank regiment.

Hezbollah confirmed only the two others as members of the group.

Lebanon's defense minister said any claim of ties between soldiers and armed groups is slander that undermines the military.

And despite the ceasefire reached last year, Israel continues to strike areas of southern Lebanon as it and the U.S.

seek Hezbollah's disarmament.

Jawad Rizqallah, NPR News, Beirut.