Why is Israel striking Syria? All we need to know about the conflict

Indian Express

17-07-2025

In a dramatic escalation, Israeli fighter jets struck multiple sites in the heart of Syria's capital on Wednesday, damaging a compound of the defence ministry and targeting areas near the presidential palace. The Israeli military confirmed the strikes, saying they were aimed at halting the advance of Syrian forces in the southern province of Sweida, a region at the centre of the country's Druse minority.
The airstrikes come amid bloody clashes in Sweida and heightened tensions between Israel and Syria. Here's what to know about the conflict:
Israeli warplanes launched several waves of airstrikes over central Damascus, according to both Israeli and Syrian authorities. One of the primary targets was a military compound that includes the Syrian defence ministry and the general staff headquarters, which Israeli officials said was being used to coordinate government offensives in Sweida.
The Syrian health ministry said at least one civilian was killed and 18 others injured. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described 'extensive' damage in Damascus's government district. Eyewitnesses spoke of chaos and panic as missiles rained down.
'We were inside the ministry when the first airstrike hit,' Abu Musab, a 30-year-old employee at the defence ministry, told The New York Time. 'Then a second strike followed. Later, the aircraft came back and carried out four strikes in a row… There are still people trapped under the rubble.'
Israel also confirmed it was conducting dozens of strikes in Sweida itself, targeting Syrian soldiers and military infrastructure.
The Sweida region is the heartland of Syria's Druse community — a religious minority with a significant presence in Israel. Clashes broke out there on Sunday after members of a Bedouin tribe attacked a Druse man.
The Syrian government deployed troops on Monday to quell the unrest. Some accused the government of siding with the Bedouin attackers.
Israel, which has pledged to protect the Druse minority, issued a warning to Syria this week, demanding a withdrawal of government troops from Sweida. On Wednesday, Israel escalated its response with strikes.
'We are acting to save our Druse brothers and to eliminate the gangs of the regime,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address. 'Now I have a single request of you: You are Israeli citizens. Do not cross the border. You are risking your lives.'
Dozens of Druse citizens of Israel had surged toward the Israeli-Syrian border to show solidarity with their Syrian counterparts before Netanyahu urged restraint.
The Druse are a small and secretive religious minority spread across Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They are an Arabic-speaking, ethno-religious community whose faith emerged as an offshoot of Shia Islam in the 11th century. Numbering roughly one million worldwide, about half live in Syria, where they constitute around 3 per cent of the population.
In Israel, for example, the approximately 152,000 Druse citizens and residents have long distinguished themselves through participation in Israeli public life, particularly the military.
In Syria, the Druse have historically tried to maintain autonomy. During the country's nearly 14-year civil war, Druse communities in the southern province of Sweida operated their own militias and distanced themselves from both the Assad regime and Islamist rebel factions.
Since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria's new government under Ahmed al-Shara has sought to reimpose state control across fractured regions. But in Sweida, where the Druse have long maintained a degree of self-rule, many have resisted those efforts.
Tensions spiked in May and again in July, when fighting between government troops and Druse fighters led to the deaths of hundreds. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, Syrian government forces carried out summary executions of Druse civilians in the town of Sweida.
The strikes come at a politically sensitive time in Syria. The country's new president, Ahmed al-Shara, came to power in December after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who was closely aligned with Iran and a staunch adversary of Israel.
Al-Shara's rise was supported in part by rebels who have since opened backchannel contacts with Israel, reportedly facilitated by the United States, according to a report by NYT.
However, trust in the new regime remains fragile, especially among Syria's religious minorities. Despite assurances from al-Shara's administration, some Druse militias believe the government is acting against them, not protecting them.
The fighting in Sweida is among the worst in recent memory. Hospitals are running out of medical supplies, power and internet blackouts are widespread, and many civilians remain trapped.
On Wednesday night, a new ceasefire was announced. Syria's interior ministry said it had been brokered with local leaders and would involve an immediate end to hostilities, withdrawal of government forces, and the re-establishment of state authority in the province.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his country helped mediate the truce: 'We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight.'
The Sweida clashes mark the third major flare-up of minority-related violence since Assad's fall.
(With inputs from The New York Times and AP)