‘Working to Save Our Druze Brothers’: Israel Strikes Syrian Military Targets as Violence in Suwayda Escalates

Latest Developments

IDF Strikes Damascus: The IDF struck the entrance of Syria’s military headquarters and another military target near the presidential palace in Damascus as it continued nationwide strikes to defend the Syrian Druze minority from attacks by forces affiliated with the Sunni Islamist regime of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The IDF stated that “Syrian regime commanders direct combat operations and deploy regime forces” in Suwayda from the Damascus headquarters but later announced that Israel had conducted numerous strikes against government forces in southern Syria. “The warnings in Damascus have ended — now painful blows will come,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, adding that Israel will continue attacking until “the forces that attacked the Druze … withdraw completely.”
Ceasefire Immediately Disavowed: Syrian government and Druze leaders announced that they had agreed to a ceasefire for the second consecutive day on July 16. A ceasefire announced one day earlier fell apart as violence continued. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a prominent spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, immediately disavowed the new agreement. Prior to the announcement, videos of human rights abuses committed against Suwayda’s Druze proliferated on social media, including one where jihadists were seen forcibly shaving the mustache of 80-year-old Druze Sheikh Marhaj Shaheen — an act widely regarded as deeply humiliating in Druze culture, in which a man’s mustache is a confirmation of his religious faith. Another video showed a vehicle running over the corpse of a dead Druze man multiple times.
Netanyahu Assures Israeli Druze: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured the Druze community that Israel was defending their co-religionists in Suwayda province after Israeli Druze community leaders called on Israel to intervene in defense of the Druze in Suwayda. “The IDF is operating, the Air Force is operating, other forces are operating. We are working to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime’s gangs,” Netanyahu said. Hundreds of Israeli Druze crossed through the border between Syria and the Golan Heights en route to Suwayda. Netanyahu warned that they were putting their lives at risk and implored them to return home.

FDD Expert Response

“Israel has chosen to act forcefully and overtly in defense of the Syrian Druze. This reflects Israel’s esteem for its own Druze citizens and their concern for their Syrian brethren. Yet the ultimate objectives of Israeli policy remain uncertain. How can Jerusalem provide sustainable security to a vulnerable minority — itself divided into factions — inside another country’s borders?” — David Adesnik, Vice President of Research

“The Israeli decision to intervene in Syria to defend the Druze is an important step in protecting this minority group. It shows how Israel’s willingness to take action can lead to a decisive outcome that protects human rights and preserves the diversity of the Middle East in the face of extremism. The Israeli strikes in Syria should deter groups from attacking the Druze and lead the Syrian government to engage the Druze in talks that lead to a positive outcome, stabilizing southern Syria and protecting the Druze minority.” — Seth J. Frantzman, Adjunct Fellow

“Only a political solution to the crisis in Suwayda is viable. Sharaa must understand Druze concerns over his centralization of power and his jihadist background. At the same time, it is necessary for the state to establish control in Suwayda so it can provide services and enforce security.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst

“The human rights crowd, which spilled countless gallons of ink to falsely portray Israel’s war against Hamas as a genocide, is silent as jihadist fighters spill Druze blood in the streets of Suwayda. Don’t expect an ‘All Eyes on Suwayda’ campaign. That is reserved for when Israel can be blamed. And while these supposed humanitarians exist in a parallel universe, posting online and attending conferences to talk about protecting Middle Eastern minorities from atrocities, in the real world, Israel is using its firepower to protect the Druze from death and destruction.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst