Israel warns of harsh responses if attacks on Druze community continue in Syria

Jerusalem: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has sent a stern message to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, vowing harsh responses if clashes with the Druze minority continue in Syria.

The Minister announced on Thursday that Israeli troops deployed in southern Syria “are prepared to prevent the entry of hostile forces into the area of Druze villages,” adding the forces continue to monitor developments with readiness for “various scenarios”.

“I repeat my warning to the head of the Syrian regime,” Katz said in a statement, “if the attacks on the Druze in Syria do not stop, we will respond with great severity.”

Following clashes between Syrian security forces and local Druze on Wednesday, Katz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israeli military “to carry out several warning strikes against extremist elements, and have conveyed a clear message to the Syrian regime that it is responsible for preventing such attacks (on the Druze),” according to the statement.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday urged the international community to protect Syria’s Druze minority from the country’s new leadership, after 73 people were said to have been killed during two days of sectarian clashes in largely Druze areas, Xinhua news agency reported.

Speaking at an Independence Day reception for foreign diplomats at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem, Sa’ar said the international community must “fulfill its duty to protect minorities in Syria, and specifically the Druze, from the regime and its terrorist gangs, and not condone the grave events that are taking place there”.

Citing distrust in Syria’’ new leadership, Syrian Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri on Thursday also urged immediate intervention by “international forces to maintain peace and prevent the continuation of these crimes,” which he described as an “unjustifiable genocidal campaign”.

Earlier on Thursday, two injured Druze Syrians were evacuated to Ziv Medical Centre in Safed, northern Israel, to receive medical treatment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Violence erupted earlier this week in Jaramana, a southeastern suburb of Damascus known for having a majority Druze and Christian population.

The violence stemmed from the circulation of an audio recording, which was attributed to a member of the Druze community and contained remarks considered offensive to Islam.

The unrest, initially centered in Jaramana, has since spread to neighbouring areas southwest of Damascus, including predominantly Druze towns, Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, where clashes between local Druze fighters and pro-government forces have intensified.

According to the latest update by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the death toll from the past two days of sectarian clashes near Damascus has risen to 101, including nine documented field executions.

Israel has been working to solidify ties with the Druze community since expanding its territorial control near the border with Syria and in the Golan Heights following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.

IANS