Israel Strikes Syrian Forces after Regime Moves on Druze-majority City

“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. 

The IDF is acting to stop Damascus from harming the Druze and to “ensure the demilitarization of the area near our border,” it stressed. 

The IDF stated that it had struck “armored vehicles, including tanks, armored personnel carriers and rocket launchers, as well as access routes, to disrupt their arrival in the area.” 

The Israeli army “continues to monitor developments and is prepared for defense and various scenarios,” according to the IDF statement. 

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

The incursion followed days of violent clashes between Druze militias and forces loyal to the Sunni Islamist regime in Damascus. The regime troops were reportedly accompanied by armored vehicles, tanks and artillery. 

Following the reports of Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra declared a ceasefire and announced that his forces would now only return fire at militia members who shoot at them. 

“To all units in Sweida: We declare a complete truce after an agreement with the city’s dignitaries and notables. We will respond only to sources of fire and deal with any shooting by lawless groups,” Abu Qasra stated. 

On Tuesday evening, the IDF reported that dozens of Israeli civilians had crossed from Israeli territory into Syria near the town of Majdal Shams, a predominantly Druze town in the Israeli Golan Heights situated close to the Syrian frontier. 

IDF personnel were deployed in response and initiated operations to ensure the safe return of the civilians who had crossed the border. The military emphasized ongoing efforts to manage the situation and prevent any escalation. 

Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli on Tuesday called for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to be “eliminated without delay.” In an X post, he referred to al-Sharaa as a “terrorist” and a “barbaric murderer,” sharing videos purportedly showing Syrian regime soldiers humiliating Druze sheikhs and civilians by shaving their mustaches. 

“We must not stand idly by in the face of the Islamist-Nazi terror regime of Al-Qaeda in a suit and tie,” Chikli wrote. 

He continued, “Anyone who thinks Ahmad al-Shara is a legitimate leader is gravely mistaken—he is a terrorist, a barbaric murderer who should be eliminated without delay.” 

Chikli further stated, “We saw the horrific massacre of the Alawites, met with deafening silence from European leaders, and now we are witnessing the slaughter and humiliation of the Druze,” concluding that “the terror regime in Syria must be fought.”