Israel Acts to Shield Syrian Druze

“We will not allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold. We will not rely on anyone else, we will defend the communities along the border,” he added. 

The IDF earlier on Wednesday attacked the entrance to the Syrian regime’s military headquarters in the Damascus area in response to reports of atrocities against local Druze residents. 

“Air force aircraft have attacked over the past 24 hours—and continue to strike—tanks, rocket launchers, combat equipment and pickups armed with heavy machine guns making their way to the Sweida area of southern Syria,” the IDF announced in a separate statement. 

Zamir held the assessment on Wednesday along with Deputy Chief Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, head of the Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, head of the Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, and head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen. 

“The commanders and soldiers are acting with responsibility, restraint, and sound judgment, facing a community that is important to us, while maintaining security,” added Zamir. 

“We are preparing for a significant reinforcement of defensive forces in the Golan Heights with a clear goal: to prevent any threat to the security of Israeli citizens and to protect, as much as possible, members of the Druze community in danger in Syria,” he added. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that IDF strikes against Syrian regime forces near Sweida would intensify if threats to the Druze population persist. 

“The Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and withdraw its forces,” Katz stated. He emphasized that Israel would not abandon the Druze community and would enforce its disarmament policy in the area. 

“The IDF will continue to strike until regime forces withdraw—and will soon raise the level of its responses if the message is not understood,” he said. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced an agreement set to quell the recent engagements in Syria, stating that the situation will come “to an end tonight.” 

“We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria,” Rubio wrote. “We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight.” 

He added that the agreement will “require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made; this is what we fully expect them to do.” 

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed on Thursday that protecting the Druze was “our priority,” according to Reuters. 

In a televised statement, al-Sharaa addressed Druze citizens, saying, “We reject any attempt to drag you into [the] hands of an external party. 

“We are not among those who fear the war,” he continued. “We have spent our lives facing challenges and defending our people, but we have put the interests of the Syrians before chaos and destruction.” 

On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched a series of airstrikes against Syrian government troops in the Sweida area of southern Syria’s Jabal al-Druze (Druze Mountain) region, targeting armored vehicles and convoys sent by Damascus amid deadly sectarian clashes between Druze militias and forces loyal to the Sunni Islamist regime. 

Netanyahu and Katz told the IDF to “immediately strike regime forces and weaponry that were brought into the Sweida area of Syria’s Jabal al-Druze [Druze Mountain] region for regime activity against the Druze,” according to the statement. 

Damascus had violated “the demilitarization policy that was decided upon, which prohibits the entry of [regime] forces and arms into southern Syria that could endanger Israel,” it continued. 

“Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep fraternal alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, as well as their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria,” according to the PMO. 

Large columns of Syrian regime forces rolled into Sweida on Tuesday morning, a day after the IDF intervened by striking several tanks attempting to move to the Jabal al-Druze area. 

In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli compared the violence against the Druze minority to the horrors of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 

“The Islamo-Nazis of al-Sharaa are forcing their victims to bark like dogs before murdering them,” Chikli wrote. “This is the October 7th of the Druze minority in Syria—and it’s simply astonishing to witness the total silence of Western leadership.” 

Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, is a former Al-Qaeda terrorist. 

Chikli criticized key international figures, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UN officials such as Secretary-General António Guterres and Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, for what he called their silence in the face of such human rights abuses. 

Following the overthrow of the Bashar Assad regime in December 2024 by Sunni jihadists, Israel took control of portions of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. The move was aimed at creating a security buffer to protect Israeli communities from hostile elements operating in the power vacuum. 

In a video address on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly appealed to Israeli Druze citizens, warning against crossing into Syria to assist relatives there. 

“My Druze brothers, citizens of Israel. The situation in Sweida and southwest Syria is dire,” Netanyahu said. “The IDF, Air Force and other forces are in action. We’re working to save our Druze brothers and eliminate regime gangs. Now, I have one request for you. You are Israeli citizens. Do not cross the border. You’re putting your lives at risk. You could be killed, kidnapped, and you’re hindering the IDF’s efforts. So I’m asking you, return to your homes. Let the IDF do its job.”