Israel Strikes Syrian Military Amid Sectarian Clashes

Israel launched airstrikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus Wednesday, with targets including Syria’s Defense Ministry headquarters, escalating its involvement in the neighboring country’s sectarian clashes even as Syrian officials announced later in the day they had reached a new ceasefire deal with leaders of the Druze religious minority, the Associated Press reported.  

On Wednesday, Syrian officials said its forces were withdrawing from the southern city of Sweida after days of intense fighting. It was not immediately clear if the new agreement, announced by the Syrian Interior Ministry and in a video message by a Druze religious leader, would hold, the newswire wrote. A previous ceasefire announced the day before quickly fell apart. 

The announcement of the ceasefire followed strikes by Israel on the heart of Damascus. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the attacks would intensify unless Syrian troops withdrew from southern Syria. 

Wednesday’s strikes follow days of violence in Sweida, where local Druze militias have been engaged in fighting with Sunni Bedouin tribes.  

The two communities have been at odds for decades but the recent unrest began over the weekend when armed Bedouins kidnapped and robbed a Druze vegetable seller, triggering a cycle of tit-for-tat kidnappings between the two groups. 

Government forces entered the city Tuesday, claiming to enforce a ceasefire. However, the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and local reports said government troops joined Bedouin militias in attacking Druze fighters and civilians. 

The observatory said that more than 350 people have been killed in the clashes as of Wednesday morning, the Guardian noted.  

The clashes and Israeli strikes continue to highlight the difficulties Syria’s new Islamist-led government is facing months after the ouster of longtime President Bashar Assad in December. 

Minorities, including the Druze, Kurds, and Alawites – Assad’s community – remain deeply suspicious of the new rulers, citing marginalization and broken promises of inclusion. 

On Wednesday, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa condemned the “criminal and illegal actions” in Sweida and vowed to hold perpetrators accountable. He later said in a televised address Thursday that the Druze are an integral part of Syria, adding that they “are under the protection and responsibility of the state.” 

In the same address, the interim leader also condemned the Israeli strikes and accused Israel of seeking to break Syrian unity. 

Israel’s involvement has prompted questions about its intentions in Syria. 

Israel has long viewed the Druze as a loyal minority, with many serving in the Israeli army. Even so, it has reinforced its military presence along the Syrian border near the Golan Heights, insisting that the region must remain demilitarized. 

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has “a commitment to preserve the southwestern region of Syria as a demilitarized area on Israel’s border” and has “an obligation to safeguard the Druze locals,” AP reported earlier. 

Even so, some analysts say that Israel is using the Druze as a pretext to destabilize the Syrian government, which it believes to be a threat, according to Agence France-Presse.