At least three people were killed and 34 injured after Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Damascus and southern Syria on Wednesday. The attack, Tel Aviv claims, was aimed at protecting Syria's Druze minority, but Damascus called it a "flagrant assault" and a dangerous attempt to destabilise the country.
The Israeli strikes targeted a compound housing Syria's Ministry of Defence and areas near the presidential palace in central Damascus, as well as military positions in Suwayda province. The strikes follow days of bloody clashes between local Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes, and Syrian government forces in the south. That violence has resulted in over 300 killings since Sunday.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Israel of exploiting the unrest to "inflame tensions, spread chaos and undermine stability."
Who Are the Druze?
An Arabic-speaking ethno-religious minority with a distinct identity and closed religious tradition, the Druze are primarily found in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. An offshoot of Shia Islam, the Druze faith incorporates elements of Greek philosophy, Gnosticism, and Ismaili theology.
About half of the global Druze population, around 1 million, lives in Syria, where they make up 3 per cent of the population. In Israel, the Druze community numbers roughly 152,000, with many serving in the Israeli military, and largely loyal to the state.
In Syria, the Druze are concentrated in Suwayda province. During Syria's long civil war, they operated local militias and largely resisted conscription into the national army.
What Caused The Current Crisis?
On July 13, the abduction of a Druze merchant in Suwayda triggered retaliatory violence between their fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes. Syrian government troops intervened to restore order, but their presence led to more clashes, including accusations of extrajudicial killings of Druze civilians.
The violence escalated, with allegations of government-backed attacks on civilians. Israel stepped in militarily on July 15, claiming its strikes were defensive.
Why Is Israel Involved?
Israel's interest in southern Syria is not new. Since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel has increased its military footprint along the Syrian border, including the Golan Heights, a territory it has occupied since 1967. It also seized new territory along Mount Hermon's southern slope and advanced plans to double the settler population in the occupied Golan Heights by 2027.
Tel Aviv has refused to recognise Syria's new leadership of US-backed interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and instead has used military pressure to shape developments in the south of the country. It has bombed Syria repeatedly this year, targeting both Iranian-aligned militias and Syrian government forces.
On Wednesday, Israeli officials warned that strikes would intensify unless Syrian forces withdrew from Suwayda, a key province near both Israeli and Jordanian borders.
On July 27, amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, a rocket attack in Majdal Shams, an Israeli-held Druze town, killed 12 people, mostly children. Israel blamed Hezbollah, but the group denied involvement.
The Syrian army has announced a partial withdrawal from Suwayda as part of a tentative ceasefire. Still, the government troops will maintain their presence at crucial checkpoints and continue to make efforts to absorb the territory into the Syrian state.
