Latest news with #IsraeliDruze
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Netanyahu testing US patience with Syria strikes; Trump advisers blast him as ‘acting like a madman'
A series of Israeli airstrikes in Syria this week has raised concerns within President Donald Trump 's inner circle, with several US officials reportedly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's aggressive military approach in the region. Israel launched airstrikes on a Syrian military convoy headed to Suwayda on Tuesday, July 16. The Israeli government claimed the convoy entered a demilitarized zone and was involved in attacks against the Druze community. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category healthcare Data Analytics Data Science Public Policy Management Technology Healthcare others PGDM Project Management Degree Cybersecurity Data Science Design Thinking Operations Management Digital Marketing Product Management MCA CXO Others Finance Leadership MBA Artificial Intelligence Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details The strike claimed the lives of at least three people and injured 34 others. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Man Revealing His Strategy To Earn Upto 3K-5K Daily Income thefutureuniversity Learn More Undo Syria has denied the allegations. The conflict between Druze militias and armed Bedouin groups in the area has reportedly claimed over 700 lives, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The US had brokered a ceasefire to halt the escalation. However, after a brief pause, Israel resumed strikes on Wednesday, July 17, hitting Syria's military headquarters and areas near the presidential palace in Damascus. Live Events Multiple US officials told Axios that the airstrikes caught the Trump administration off guard. One White House official said Netanyahu 'acted like a madman' and warned the strikes could undermine US efforts to stabilise the region. Another official added, 'Every day there is something new. What the f***?' Another US official described him as a leader with a 'trigger finger too itchy,' while another warned that Israel is damaging its standing with the US. Officials accused Netanyahu of escalating tensions for political gain, particularly to appease Israel's Druze community. For context, in Israel, approximately 150,000 Druze live as citizens who are highly integrated and serve loyally in the Israeli military and security forces. The Israeli Druze community supports the Israeli state and has political influence in Israel. Israel has portrayed itself as the protector of the Syrian Druze minority. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, tensions with the new Islamist-led regime have risen in southern Syria, leading to conflict. Some Druze leaders seek dialogue with Damascus, while others resist and appeal for outside support, including from Israel. Trump advisers urge restraint US envoy Tom Barrack reportedly asked Israeli officials to stand down earlier in the week. While Israel initially agreed, the strikes resumed the next day. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also urged Netanyahu to stop the attacks, which he eventually decided to do on the condition that Syrian forces withdraw from Suwayda. Despite the ceasefire, several countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, reportedly criticized Israel's actions and conveyed their concerns to the Trump administration. Is Netanyahu frustrated over Gaza? This tension with Syria occurred after Netanyahu visited Washington, D.C., and met Trump twice. Despite the warm optics, internal frustrations may be growing. The Trump administration is also reportedly upset over an Israeli strike that damaged a church in Gaza, and over the recent killing of a Palestinian-American, Saif Musallet, allegedly by Israeli settlers. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a strong supporter of Israel, called the settler attack 'terrorism' and demanded answers. He also criticized the Israeli government for complicating travel visa processes for American evangelicals. Israeli officials defend actions However, Israeli officials are defending these attacks. An unnamed Israeli official said Netanyahu had been encouraged by Trump in the past to take strong actions in Syria. The official insisted that the latest strikes were solely based on intelligence and not influenced by domestic political pressures. "The US wants to keep the new Syrian government stable and doesn't understand why we attack in Syria, because of attacks on the Druze community there. We tried to explain to them that this is our commitment to the Druze community in Israel," the senior Israeli official said. Will Netanyahu lose US support? US officials are worried that Israel's policy in Syria could destabilize the region further. 'The current Israeli policy would lead to an unstable Syria,' one senior US official said, warning that both Israel and the Druze community could suffer the consequences. This is not the first time Netanyahu's actions have tested Trump's patience. He has previously escalated in Gaza and Iran despite Trump's calls for restraint. US aides are also uneasy about the influence of far-right members within Netanyahu's governing coalition, a concern now shared by parts of the broader conservative movement in the US. While Trump himself has avoided publicly criticizing Netanyahu, his advisers are growing increasingly frustrated with the Israeli leader's approach. According to officials, Netanyahu is taking significant political risks that could eventually cost US support.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Druze community, divided between Syria and Israel, has fleeting connection during conflict
The small towns in the northern tip of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights aren't usually susceptible to traffic jams. Clinging to the side of Mount Hermon, the narrow and winding streets of Majdal Shams can be challenging to navigate in quieter times. But on Wednesday night, it was clogged with cars, trucks and quad bikes, as the sounds of joyous celebrations echoed up and down the valley where the Druze village sits. The focal point was a gate, in a kilometres long razor wire-topped fence, which had been forced open earlier in the day by hundreds of members of the Druze community — a religious minority spread across Syria, Lebanon and Israel. For the first time in decades, Israeli Druze poured through the fence — first by foot, then by car. Syrian Druze made the opposite journey. Heartwarming family reunions decades in the making ensued for a number of hours, on both sides of the fence. As night fell, hundreds of people lined the streets cheering and chanting as groups returned through the gate. The fact the event occurred at all is notable. So too is the fact that Israeli authorities, known for their vice-like control of borders, allowed it to happen — and indeed stood and watched it play out. The fence was breached as Israel launched extensive air strikes across Syria. Many of the Druze who'd pushed their way through had done so trying to encourage Israel to go even further. Less than 24 hours later, as Israeli jets resumed their focus on Gaza instead of the country's northern neighbours, the gate was secured. Life was returning to normal. But the impact of the bombing raids across Syria was only just being realised. Through the noise and walls of the colourful Druze flags, Zeid Abu Jabal emerged from the area near the gate. He was beaming. "I met my brother from the other side from Sweida, from Jabal Arab, whom I have not seen for more than 50 years," he told the ABC. "The meeting took place here, when the young men went inside [Syria], there was an opportunity for my brother to cross [back into the Golan] with people he knows who came here from the other side. "There was food and drinks and we met them and we wanted them to stay with us, but unfortunately, we were informed that at 10pm they had to cross the border and go back to where they came from." It was hard for Zeid to hide his smile. But, his happiness was still tempered by fear and frustration. This reunion with his brother had only occurred because of violent clashes between the Druze and Bedouin communities over the border, and Israel's decision to get involved in the conflict. The clashes began last weekend when a Druze merchant was reportedly kidnapped, sparking more violence between the groups and triggering the Syrian government forces to deploy to the Sweida region in southern Syria. As of this morning the conflict's death toll had soared to nearly 600, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Zeid blamed the new Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa for the situation. "Al-Sharaa, more than once, found groups to strike our Druze brethren, and unfortunately this time was an attack on our honour and our elderly leaders, on our children and on our women," he said. "Al-Sharaa is one of the terror groups that is acting to exterminate the Druze in Sweida and Jabal Al-Arab. "If he had any peaceful intention, Syria would not have reached this situation, Assad before him was unjust towards his people, unfortunately what we see from Al-Sharaa is worse than what we saw from Assad." Proudly displaying the Druze flag, Wade Sabag said he had seen videos on social media showing the fighting in Syria. "I get so angry, and the feeling of that I can't do anything here because we are in different countries," he said. "It's so bad." It is that sentiment Israel tapped into when it launched its attacks inside Syria, insisting it was protecting the Syrian Druze in solidarity with its own Druze population. Benjamin Netanyahu's willingness to flex his country's military muscle has been clear for the world to see in recent times. While the war in Gaza stretched into its 21st month, Israel sparked a 12-day conflict with Iran. Israeli forces continue to strike inside Lebanon despite a ceasefire, repeatedly attacked Yemen's Houthi rebels, and have intensified their campaign against claimed militants in the occupied West Bank. As Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime was toppled by Islamist rebel forces in December, Israel sent troops and tanks over the border into what was once the buffer zone along the border with the Golan Heights. It's since moved beyond that zone and attacked targets in Syria, including the Ministry of Defence in Damascus. Mr Netanyahu said it was in response to Syrian forces moving south of Damascus and "massacring Druze" in what was supposed to be a "demilitarised" area. "This was something we could not accept in any way," he said Mr Netanyahu said Israel's strikes had forced Syrian forces to retreat to Damascus. That's where Israel wants them to stay, and Mr Netanyahu has indicated he's prepared to use force again to ensure they do. "We will not allow Syrian army forces to enter the region south of Damascus," he said. "We have taken action, and we will continue to take action as necessary." Since the Israeli strikes, a ceasefire was negotiated and most fighting between Israeli and Syrian government forces has stopped. While Syrian government forces had mostly left the southern province of Sweida after days of clashes with Druze militias, the fighting hasn't fully ceased. According to Syrian state media, Druze militiamen have attacked Sunni Bedouin communities. A military commander for the Bedouin said their fighters had launched a new offensive in Sweida province against Druze fighters and that the truce there only applied to government forces, Reuters reported. The Druze in Israel are generally seen as supportive of the country. However, many of those in the Golan have closer ties to Syria. Long time Druze activist Salman Fakhreddin has been campaigning against Israeli occupation for decades, and has been jailed by Israeli authorities 13 times as a result. "A decade before [these attacks] the Druze were massacred [in Syria] and the Israelis didn't do anything," he said. "What motivates them, it is not human rights, it's hegemony and occupation." He described Israel as being locked in "an eternal crisis" — occupying land, but demanding peace at the same time. The allegations from Salman Fakhreddin tally with those coming from the new Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa — a man he has little positive to say about. The Islamist leader-turned-president has been talking up the prospects of uniting his country, even as concerns abound about the ideology of the forces he led to power and the risk they would target Syria's minority groups. In the seven months since he toppled dictator Bashar Al-Assad, there have been a number of deadly attacks — including against Alawites and, now, the Druze. "Open war with Israel at the expense of the Druze people and their security is destabilising Syria and the entire region," Al-Sharaa said in a televised speech overnight. "Israel resorted to extensive targeting of civilian and governmental facilities, to undermine efforts, which greatly complicated the situation, and pushed matters to a large-scale escalation. "If it weren't for the effective intervention of American, Arab and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate." The Syrian president's reference to the US in his comments was telling — not least because of the White House's influence over Israel's actions. Just weeks ago, it was Donald Trump who lifted crippling sanctions on Syria in a bid to help the country rebuild. That was a move pushed by Türkiye and Saudi Arabia. Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, was the one to introduce the US president to Ahmed Al-Sharaa, while he visited Riyadh. "Young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter. He's got a real shot at pulling it together," President Trump told reporters after the meeting on Air Force One. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to downplay Israel's strikes this week by saying it was a "misunderstanding" with Syria. But the ramifications are significant. One of Donald Trump's major goals is the expansion of the Abraham Accords, the title of the program promoting normalisation of ties between Israel and Arab nations — relations that have traditionally been hostile The jewel in that foreign policy crown would be getting Saudi Arabia to sign on — a task that could become more difficult after Israel's strikes in Syria. So too any sort of normalisation with Syria, which had been mooted for weeks. For all the questioning of Israel's motives, the decision by the Netanyahu government and the IDF have support even amongst some of the prime minister's most staunch opponents. "We have a strong commitment to the Druze here in Israel, and therefore also for the Druzes in Lebanon and in Syria," Israeli leader of the Democrats Yair Golan told the ABC. "And in both unstable countries, we need to be in high awareness to what is happening there. "I think it came only too late, and the minute we understand that these people, our allies and our citizens, are under threat, we need to do something in order to secure them and in order prevent further massacres." A former government minister, and member of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, took that a step further. "One can not play the game with this ISIS guy called Al-Sharaa," Druze politician Ayoob Kara argued. "He is dressed up like Little Red Riding Hood, with a tie and his trimmed beard." The talk of the threat coming from Syria prompted Israeli forces to start erecting concrete barriers on Thursday, along the very fenceline they had watched Druze breach the day before. Siham Safadi was watching on. She had welcomed family from the Syrian side of the fence the day earlier, and was preparing to say goodbye. "This fence that has been established I understand it is for security but it has closed our heart," she told the ABC. "It has closed all Majdal Shams, all the Golan Heights, it causes us pain. "It's a cement wall, they have turned our hearts into cement."
Mint
5 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Israel's red lines in Syria are drawing it deeper into conflict
DUBAI—As Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria was collapsing late last year, Israel took the opportunity to destroy the military capabilities of one of its oldest enemies. Since then, it has increased its demands on the new regime, insisting on a demilitarized zone south of Damascus and promising to intervene militarily if needed to protect the Druze minority who live on both sides of the border. That is putting Israel in deepening conflict with Syria's new leadership, as sectarian violence involving the Druze spiraled this week. Druze on both sides of the Israel-Syria border smashed through Israeli troop positions as they tried to save their families from the unfolding violence. It is also pitting Israel more directly against Turkey, which supports the new government of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of using the Druze as a pretext to destabilize Syria. 'At this point, the biggest problem in our region is Israel's aggression," he said. On Wednesday, Israel struck Syria's military headquarters in Damascus, after launching a wave of airstrikes targeting government tanks and military convoys in the country's south. Israel said it was acting in defense of the Druze. Israel's response marked a surprising display of force against the new government after the U.S. began pushing the two countries toward a diplomatic detente, and when Israeli officials had in recent weeks talked up the possibility of a deal. Clashes in Sweida, in southern Syria, began earlier this week over the alleged Bedouin kidnapping of a Druze vegetable seller, and grew into bloody street battles that left at least 150 dead, according to Ayman Shib Al Deen, a Druze lawyer and activist who tracks the number of violent deaths by visiting hospital morgues. Community leaders, activists and Israel's military said the violence worsened once Syrian government forces got involved. Some 150,000 Druze live within Israel, and many have played a key role in the military. Pressure on the government from Israeli Druze leadership to protect their Syrian family was at a fever pitch this week, as many noted that Israeli Druze died in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and in the ensuing 21-month long war in Gaza. It is Israel's turn, they argued, to defend them. 'The Druze have helped the Jews ever since they built the state of Israel," said Eman Safady, an Israeli Druze journalist and expert on Middle East politics. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Syria crossed two red lines that compelled him to act. The first was sending troops into an area that Israel has demanded be turned into a 'demilitarized zone," which it says is needed to keep militants from taking root there. The second was allowing harm to come to the Druze, accusing the government of 'massacring" them. 'Both of these red lines were violated by the regime in Damascus," Netanyahu said. 'This was absolutely unacceptable to us." Israel's pledge to defend the group is giving it an opportunity to display military dominance over its weaker neighbor and assert more control over their shared border. Israel struck hundreds of military targets while Assad's regime was collapsing, leaving the Syrian government nearly defenseless against the onslaught of Israeli assaults. Still, it is unclear if the Israeli attacks have stopped the sectarian battles. Sharaa's government said its security forces have retreated. But reports continued of ongoing fighting between local Bedouins, who are Sunni, and the Druze, whose religion is rooted in an ancient offshoot of Shiite Islam. Sharaa, who was cautious about criticizing Israel when he first came to power, was more forceful after the Israeli attacks. In a speech on Thursday, Sharaa said his government succeeded in bringing calm to Sweida 'despite Israeli interference." He accused Israel of 'widespread targeting of civilian and government infrastructure to undermine these efforts, greatly complicating the situation and pushing it toward a broad escalation." Syria under Assad had in recent years become one of Israel's quietest borders. Israel's demand that the south remain demilitarized comes from its fears that Islamist forces could reach its border, something that Israel has become keenly sensitive to since the 2023 attack from Gaza. The fighting this week has shown just how hard it is to keep the border stable, as hundreds of Druze rushed to cross into Syria in an effort to defend loved ones living on the other side. The sudden surge overwhelmed authorities and led Israel to establish routes to let them through. Security analysts say that while Israel should welcome the new Syrian government's promises to build an inclusive society, many have doubts about Sharaa's control over the country's many armed groups, and whether his aim of national reconstruction takes priority over his Islamist ideology. 'There are two open questions here, and I don't know the answers," said Yossi Kuperwasser, director of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, a think tank based in Israel. 'One is: Is the new regime led by Sharaa capable of solving the problem? The other question is: Are they interested in doing that? Here again, the answer isn't totally clear." Smoke rises over Damascus following Israeli strikes this week. Write to Feliz Solomon at
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Syria's Forgotten Minority—Why the Druze Deserve Our Protection and Attention
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As an Israeli Druze woman serving as a minister at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., I feel compelled to share what is happening to my people in Suwayda, Syria. The Druze of Syria, the largest concentration of Druze in the Middle East, numbering more than 700,000 people, are facing a brutal and systematic assault. Despite their relatively small numbers, the Syrian Druze played a foundational role in shaping modern Syria, just as we play a significant role in Israel. A convoy of Syrian military and security forces passes a sign for Suwayda, Syria on July 15, 2025. A convoy of Syrian military and security forces passes a sign for Suwayda, Syria on July 15, 2025. Stringer/Getty Images They led the Great Syrian Revolt against French colonial rule, fighting for liberalism, the rule of law, and human rights for all. This religious minority known for its dignity, neutrality, resiliency, and peaceful resistance is now being targeted by Jihadi militias supported by the Syrian regime, with tanks artillery, and heavy weapons. As a human being I am watching history repeat itself—in real time—through the footage of this horrendous ethnic cleansing. The atrocities of October 7 in Israel did not occur in a vacuum. We have warned the world for years about this growing wave of radical extremism. It has targeted the Yazidis in Iraq, the Alawites in Syria, Christians across the Levant—and now, it is butchering innocent Druze civilians: women, children, and the elderly. Homes are being shelled, families displaced, hospitals are being bombed, and religious sites and symbols desecrated, led by the Syrian regime with the blessing of President Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. And yet once again—the world has remained largely silent in the face of the genocide taking place against my people. Let me be clear: The Suwayda massacre is not an internal Syrian issue. As we have seen before, this has escalated into international sectarian war by radical Jihadists against minority groups that do not ascribe to their version of fundamentalism. As the only democracy in the Middle East that actively protects minority rights, Israel has not stood idly by. Israel is committed to preventing continued harm from being inflicted on the Druze in Syria. As the state of Israel, we are committed to protecting the Druze minority and maintaining the strategic security buffer on Israel's northern border with Syria in the Golan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to protect the Druze community in Syria and to attack strongholds of al-Jolani's regime in Damascus. Together with the minister of Defense, the PM publicly committed to eliminating the radical forces that attacked the Druze and called for a full withdrawal from Suwayda. We are determined to deter the regime from harming the Druze, by ensuring the full demilitarization of the border with Syria, acting to defend our common values, and for the protection of minority groups. Everyone should know that the Druze of Syria stand as the last symbol of pluralism and minority diversity in the Arab-majority region. If Suwayda collapses, Israel and Jordan face an immediate Jihadi threat on their border. Therefore, I urge you to speak out, clearly and urgently. Join Israel in condemning the violence and the targeted persecution of this minority group and in calling for an immediate withdrawal of Syrian forces from Druze Syrian villages. We must see an immediate cessation of the siege on all essential humanitarian necessities and a humanitarian corridor created between Syria and Jordan. Let me conclude by quoting the people of Suwayda: "Don't let this turn into another forgotten atrocity. Human rights are not selective. Minority lives are not optional." Sawsan Natour-Hasson is the minister of public diplomacy at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. She served as the director of the Middle East Economic Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel. Natour-Hasson has held a variety of posts in the Foreign Ministry in Israel and around the world, including deputy chief of mission in Athens and in Sofia. Prior to that, Natour-Hasson was an attorney specializing in civil and labor law. She has been awarded the Prize of Excellence for her work at the Foreign Ministry. Natour-Hasson holds LL.B. and LL.M. law degrees from Haifa University. She is Druze and lives with her family in Daliyat Al-Karmel. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
LeMonde
5 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Israeli Druze anger mounts against Syrian authorities after clashes with Bedouins
Once again, Israel has bombed one of its neighbors. On Wednesday, July 16, after more than 300 civilians and military personnel died in fighting between the Syrian army, the Druze community and Bedouin tribes near Sweida in southern Syria, Israeli missiles struck the entrance to the presidential palace and the Ministry of Defense in Damascus, the Syrian capital. According to the Syrian Ministry of Health, 28 people were wounded and one person was killed by the strikes. At the same time, about 1,000 Israeli Druze were entering Syrian territory from Majdal Shams, in the far northeast of the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. In several videos shared on social media, a group of men in traditional black Druze attire and white caps could be seen crossing the barrier marking the current border between the two countries. "Everyone here is outraged by these massacres and is looking for any way to help their relatives on the other side of the border," said Qassem Sabag, a resident of Majdal Shams reached by phone. "Most left with the idea of going to defend Sweida against the Syrian authorities."
