Israel vows to defend the Druze community and has called on Damascus to rein in organizations in the country seeking to harm minority groups.
By David Brummer
Israel has confirmed that the IDF carried out a strike in southern Syria on Wednesday aimed at protecting the country’s Druze community. The operation, described by officials as a “warning mission,” targeted an armed group that was reportedly preparing to attack Druze civilians in the town of Sahnaya, located in Syria’s Damascus province, according to The Times of Israel. The move comes amid growing sectarian tensions in the region and a surge in violence against minority groups.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement detailing the purpose of the strike, saying Israel acted to prevent harm to the Druze community and to uphold its longstanding commitment to Druze citizens in Israel. The ministers also said that a stern warning was conveyed to the Syrian regime, stressing that “Israel expects [Damascus] to act to prevent harm to the Druze.”
WATCH 🔴
Massive Druze convoys are heading from Suwayda to Damascus to protect the Druze. “These are our convoys, Ahmed al-Sharaa,” the cameraman warns the Syrian President. @ariel_oseran pic.twitter.com/XbqR95Aik3
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 30, 2025
The strike follows a deadly outbreak of violence in a predominantly Druze town near the Syrian capital earlier this week, where more than a dozen people were killed. Clashes erupted after a recording surfaced of a Druze man allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed, sparking retaliation by armed Sunni gunmen. The incident has raised fears of renewed sectarian conflict in Syria, particularly against minorities like the Druze, who have long faced threats from extremist factions.
Israeli officials timed their announcement to coincide with Memorial Day for fallen soldiers, noting the crucial role the Druze community has played in Israel’s security forces. “We see great importance in fulfilling our commitment to the Druze community in Israel and to protecting their brothers in Syria,” Netanyahu and Katz said. “We will not allow harm to come to them.”
