The agreement marked a major victory for Damascus in its quest to unify the country, as violent unrest continues to grip Syria’s coastal region.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of the oil-rich northeast, signed a deal with the government on Monday to integrate its civilian and military institutions with the new state.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington welcomed an agreement between the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria’s new government. The SDF, which controls much of Syria's northeast,