Israel says it’s striking Syria to defend the Druze, a minority group with longstanding roots in the region and a history of tensions on its doorstep.
Clashes erupted on Sunday between factions from the Druze religious minority and Bedouin tribes in southern Syria, leaving over 100 people dead — prompting Syrian forces to intervene.
That, in turn, triggered renewed Israeli airstrikes, including in the Syrian capital Damascus.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is “committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria” and is “acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them”.
He said Israel wants to “ensure the demilitarisation of the area adjacent to” their border in southern Syria.
While the Druze population is primarily concentrated in Sweida, Israeli strikes have extended beyond the region — damaging the defence ministry headquarters and the area near the presidential palace in Damascus.
Who are the Druze?
The Druze are a religious minority group with a population of about one million, located in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Syria.
The faith originated in Egypt during the 11th century and practices an offshoot of Islam. However, most followers do not identify themselves as Muslims.
With approximately 700,000 as of the early 2020s, Syria has the largest Druze population in the world. Most of them live in the country’s south, around Sweida, close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The Golan Heights were captured by Israel from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Israel also has a sizeable Druze community of approximately 140,000 people, primarily residing in the northern regions.
About 20,000 live in the Golan Heights, alongside 25,000 Jewish settlers. But most Druze living there do not hold Israeli citizenship and consider themselves Syrian.
According to the Israeli military on Wednesday, hundreds of Druze from the Golan Heights crossed into Syria in response to appeals from their leaders to assist the community. Source: EPA / Atef Safadi/ EPA
The Druze that do live in Israel are known for their allegiance to it. Unlike other minority communities, some of them serve in the Israel Defence Forces.
Druze men over 18 have reportedly been conscripted into the Israeli military since 1957 and often rise to high-ranking positions, while many chose to serve in the police and security forces.
Why does Israel say it’s protecting them?
The recent tensions started with conflicts between Druze religious minority factions and Sunni Bedouin tribes, leading to more than 100 deaths.
Syrian government forces sent reinforcements to the region in the country’s south, saying it wants to restore security.
In response, Israel launched attacks on Syrian government forces moving towards Sweida, saying it is protecting the Druze minority, some of whom are known to have been loyal to Israel.
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, described the situation as “an existential battle for the Druze community”.
Before the attacks expanded to airstrikes on Damascus, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said these attacks would continue until Syrian government forces “withdraw from the area”.
“[Israel] will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood,” he said.
Israel is also believed to have broader strategic interests in supporting the minority group, including backing a federal vision for Syria.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said in December 2024: “Thinking Syria will be a single country with effective control and sovereignty over its entire territory is unrealistic.
“The logical thing is to strive for autonomy for the various minorities in Syria, perhaps with a federal structure. This is something the international community will have to consider.”
