Syria vs Druze: How did Israel get involved?

It began as a local conflict in southern Syria between local Druze and Bedouin communities. However, it escalated into Israel bombing Syria’s Ministry of Defence and other targets, forcing foreign intervention from the United States.

Now, the Syrian army has announced that it is withdrawing from violence-hit Sweida shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X, “We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight.”

But what exactly happened in Syria? Why did Israel bomb its neighbouring country? We unpack the complex situation unfolding in that part of the world.

What led to new violence between Syria and Israel?

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, the recent violence began in Sweida after members of a Bedouin tribe set up a checkpoint where they attacked and robbed a Druze man over the weekend, leading to tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings between the tribes and Druze armed groups.

For those unaware, the Druze are a religious sect that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half the roughly one million Druze worldwide live in Syria.

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This led to government security forces being deployed in the area. However, they were seen as siding with the Bedouin tribes. The Syrian observatory reported that around 300 people have died in the clashes, with 27 of them being “summarily executed”. In fact, videos and reports have emerged that show government forces burning and looting houses and humiliating Druze men by forcibly shaving their moustaches.

Then, how did Israel get involved in the conflict?

On July 15, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Jewish nation is “committed to preventing harm to the Druze due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.”

Shortly later, Israel launched aerial strikes at Syria, bombing several Syrian military positions in Sweida. “We will not allow harm to the Druze in Syria,” said Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, adding his country will “not stand idly by”.

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But critics note that Israel is engaging in the ‘divide and rule’ policy in Syria with the aim of weakening the new government. Moreover, it’s trying to create a buffer zone to protect the border with the Golan Heights — originally Syrian territory that it has occupied and annexed for almost half a century.

In fact, since the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad last December, Israel has been carrying out hundreds of strikes against military sites in Syria, claiming its goal was to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new government.

What happened next?

Since Monday (July 14), Israel has been targeting Syria — the Israeli military struck Syrian tanks on Monday and has continued to conduct dozens of drone strikes on troops, killing some soldiers.

But on Wednesday, it escalated its attacks, striking twice. The Jewish nation struck the headquarters of the Syrian army in Damascus, a compound that also houses the defence ministry. Witnesses told AFP that they heard an explosion in the area of the presidential palace, where the Israeli military said it had struck a “military target”.

In one video on social media, a television reporter can be seen running for cover as strikes hit the buildings behind her, while warplanes can be heard swooping low over the capital.

Footage shows the moment of the Israeli airstrike in Damascus a short while ago. https://t.co/x08ISPkg1R pic.twitter.com/4fifRF0eNV

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 16, 2025

Katz later added troops would “operate forcefully in Sweida to eliminate the forces that attacked the Druze until their full withdrawal”.

The Israeli defence minister said that “the signals to Damascus are over — now come the painful blows”, sharing Syrian television footage of an explosion in Damascus on his X account.

Has a truce been declared? Will Israel abide by it?

On Wednesday, amid Israel’s heavy bombing, Syrian government officials and the Druze announced a renewed ceasefire. The Syrian army “has begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the adopted agreement, after the end of the sweep of the city for outlaw groups,” a defence ministry statement said.

Announcing the new ceasefire on Wednesday, Syria’s interior ministry said there would be a “total and immediate halt to all military operations”, as well as the formation of a committee comprising government representatives and Druze spiritual leaders to supervise its implementation.

Later, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said on X that all sides had “agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end”.

“This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do,” he wrote, without elaborating on the nature of the agreement.

However, Israel has not yet commented on the ceasefire bid. In fact, Israeli strikes continued even after the ceasefire announcement.

After the ceasefire announcement, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in a televised address said that protecting the Druze citizens and their rights is “our priority”.

In a veiled dig at Israel, he added, “We are not among those who fear the war. We have spent our lives facing challenges and defending our people, but we have put the interests of the Syrians before chaos and destruction.

He further expanded, saying that the Syrian people are not afraid of war and are ready to fight if their dignity is threatened.

With inputs from agencies