&w=3840&q=100)
Syria vs Druze: How did Israel get involved?
Soldiers inspect the damaged Syrian Defence Ministry building allegedly hit by several Israeli airstrikes, in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, July 16. AP
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.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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.
Members of the Druze minority and their supporters protest outside the US Embassy in Jerusalem, amid the clashes between Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups in the southern Syrian city of Sweida. AP
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'.
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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.
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on Syria's defence ministry in Damascus. Reuters
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
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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.
People gather, near the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, amid the ongoing conflict in the Druze areas in Syria, in Majdal Shams. Reuters
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Going nowhere fast': Russia accuses US of stalling diplomatic efforts amid Ukraine war; Trump threatens new sanctions
Donald Trump (left), Vladimir Putin (AP) The Kremlin on Thursday said that attempts to restore bilateral ties, including efforts to resume normal embassy operations with the United States have seen a slowdown. 'So far, the process of normalizing (relations with the US) is going nowhere fast,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 'We'd like to see a bit more movement [in the talks], since that's what we're interested in,' reported news agency AFP. Peskov suggested that Washington was falling short, stating that the talks need 'initiative from both sides.' He added, "We would like to see more dynamics. We are interested in this. In order to move forward, we need impulses from both sides". The statement came a day after US Donald Trump expressed renewed frustration with Russia over its continued offensive in Ukraine. Trump criticized Putin for having 'nice and respectful conversations' while still 'launching rockets' at Ukrainian cities. He warned of additional sanctions and said secondary tariffs could be imposed if Russia fails to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 10 to 12 days. Peskov stated that the Kremlin had 'taken into account' Trump's latest ultimatum but chose not to comment on the possibility of new sanctions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Shop Sale Libas Undo He added that the war against Ukraine would proceed despite the threats from Washington, according to the Moscow Times. Senior Russian officials have previously accused the White House of delaying efforts to restore diplomatic relations, including settling ongoing issues related to embassies and consular access. Moscow is pushing for the return of six diplomatic properties seized by the US between 2016 and 2018 in response to alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections. It has also asked for 'clearer answers' regarding its proposal to restart direct flights between Russia and the US. The Kremlin says US officials have linked the resumption of flights to progress on achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine. So far, Putin has rejected Trump's attempts to negotiate a truce.


News18
32 minutes ago
- News18
Trump administration pressed to address starvation in Gaza
Washington, Jul 29 (AP) Senate Democrats are imploring President Donald Trump's administration to step up its role in addressing suffering and starvation in Gaza, with more than 40 senators signing onto a letter Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks and sharply criticising an Israeli-backed American organisation that had been created to distribute food aid. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Republican president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, the senators said the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, created in February with backing from the Trump administration, has 'failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organisation's sites". It marked a mostly united plea from Senate Democrats — who are locked out of power in Washington — for the Trump administration to recalibrate its approach after the collapse of ceasefire talks last week. Trump on Monday expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation and broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that people are not starving in the Gaza Strip. But it is unclear how Trump will proceed. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii said it was 'not at all credible" to think the Israeli military — one of the most advanced in the world — is incapable of distributing food aid or performing crowd control. 'They made a choice to establish a new way of doing food distribution," he said. 'And it's not working at all." The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, calls for a 'large-scale expansion" of aid into Gaza channelled through organisations experienced working in the area. It also says efforts for a ceasefire agreement are 'as critical and urgent as ever". The message was led by four Jewish members of the Democratic Caucus — Senators Adam Schiff of California, Chuck Schumer of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Schatz — and calls for the return of the roughly 50 hostages, 20 still believed to be alive, held by Hamas since its Oct 7, 2023, attack. The signatures from 44 senators — the vast majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus — on the letter show the extent to which Democrats have achieved some unity on a foreign policy issue that deeply divided them while they held the White House last year. They called for an end to the war that sees Hamas no longer in control of Gaza and a long-term goal of both an Israeli and a Palestinian state and opposed any permanent displacement of the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, Republicans are backing Trump's handling of the situation and supporting Israel. Sen John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was satisfied with Trump trying 'to referee that, but the Israelis need to get their hostages back". Still, images of the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza seemed to be reaching some Republican members of Congress. Over the weekend, far-right Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who routinely calls for an end to foreign aid, said on social media 'what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific. This war and humanitarian crisis must end!" For Schatz, it was a sign many Americans do care about suffering in other parts of the world, even after Trump won the election with 'America First" foreign policy goals and kickstarted his administration by demolishing US aid programmes. 'They are seeing images of chaos, images of suffering that are either caused by the United States or at least could have been prevented by the United States," Schatz said. 'And it is redounding negatively to the president." (AP) SCY SCY view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Mint
39 minutes ago
- Mint
Get paid to make babies? China offers parents $1,500 in bid to boost births as population ages
Parents in China are being offered around $500 ( ₹ 44,000) a year for each of their children under the age of three. This initiative, announced on Monday, is part of the government's first nationwide subsidy, which is introduced with an objective of reducing the financial burden of raising children and encouraging more births in the world's second-largest economy. Despite scrapping the controversial one-child policy nearly a decade ago, China's birth rate has continued to fall, the BBC reported. The government hopes that these new handouts, which are expected to help around 20 million families with the cost of raising children, will reverse the trend of falling birth rates. Before this nationwide rollout, several provinces across China had already piloted some form of payouts to encourage people to have more children as the country faces a looming demographic crisis. The scheme has promised to offer parents a total of up to $1500 (10,800 yuan) per child, with the benefits being applied retroactively from the start of this year, as per the BBC report. This provision is also open for families with children born between 2022 and 2024; however, they will receive partial subsidies. The move follows efforts by local governments to boost birth rates in China. In March, Hohhot - a city in the northern region of China - started offering residents up to 100,000 yuan per baby for couples with at least three children. Shenyang, a city northeast of Beijing, offers 500 yuan a month to local families with a third child under three. Last week, Beijing also urged local governments to draft plans for implementing free preschool education. The need for such incentives is underscored by the high cost of raising children in China, according to a study by China-based YuWa Population Research Institute. The study found that raising a child to the age of 17 in China costs an average of $75,700, making it one of the most expensive places to have children relative to income. In January, official figures showed that China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, despite a slight increase in birth, which was recorded to be around 9.54 million babies born in 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The country's 1.4 billion population is also aging fast, adding to Beijing's demographic concerns, the news agency reported.