Israel strikes Syria after Druze clashes

Israel says it carried out airstrikes on Syrian government infrastructure in the south of the country, in response to what it described as attacks on Druze civilians in Suweida province.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it struck a command center and weapons stored at military bases overnight.

“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will not tolerate harm to the Druze population in Syria and will continue to work to defend them,” he said.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry denounced the attack as “an outrageous attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria” and called the Israeli justifications “flimsy pretexts and invented excuses.”

The attacks represent an escalation that continues Israel’s policy of “interference in internal affairs with the aim of undermining security and stability.”

Israel, which has a sizeable Druze minority, has previously characterized such attacks as efforts to protect the community across the border.

The Druze are a community in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned of further action, saying Israel will not allow the Syrian government to “exploit” the broader regional war to target Druze communities and will strike “with even greater force” if necessary.

Until now, Syria has remained largely on the sidelines of the current regional conflict in the Middle East, which began late last month when Israel and the United States launched coordinated missile attacks on Iran.

This latest military action in Syria comes amid escalating violence in Suweida, a Druze-majority province in southern Syria, where clashes between government forces and local armed groups have intensified in recent days after a group of Druze militiamen attempted to enter government-controlled territory.

A UK-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said fighting broke out after mortar shells fell in areas controlled by Druze groups, before shelling hit residential neighborhoods in the city of Suweida, causing panic among residents.

Syrian authorities, however, described a different version of events.

The Interior Ministry said security forces had dismantled an organized crime network involved in car theft and drug trafficking, adding that nine suspects were arrested in the operation.

The unrest follows earlier violence in Suweida, where clashes last July between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribesmen and government forces left hundreds dead.

Government forces have been accused of siding with tribal groups despite claiming to intervene to restore order.

Israel also carried out attacks at the time, claiming it was defending Druze communities and forcing the demilitarization of southern Syria.

While some have expressed concern that Syria could be drawn more directly into the conflict – particularly as Israel increases attacks against Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon – analysts say the latest escalation is more closely tied to internal dynamics than regional warfare.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa made it clear that Damascus was trying to avoid getting involved.

“We are calculating our steps with extreme precision and working to keep Syria away from any conflict,” he said in a speech after Eid al-Fitr prayers in the capital. [BBC]

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