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Three injured Syrian Druze citizens were evacuated from Syria to Israel on Wednesday evening for urgent medical treatment, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed. The individuals, wounded during escalating violence in Syrian territory, were transferred to the Ziv Medical Center in the northern Israeli city of Safed.
The IDF stated it continues to monitor developments in Syria closely. “IDF troops are deployed and prepared for defense and developments in Syria,” a military spokesperson noted.
Israeli Strikes in Response to Attacks
In a significant military escalation, Israel’s Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir announced that Israeli forces had targeted “operatives” responsible for attacking Druze civilians on the outskirts of Damascus.
“I have instructed our forces to prepare to strike Syrian government targets if these attacks against the Druze community continue,” Zamir said.
The Israeli military response came in the wake of intense sectarian clashes that have reportedly left more than 40 people dead. A BBC team reported witnessing airstrikes near the mainly Druze towns of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and neighbouring Sahnaya, alongside heavy and sporadic gunfire.
Government Operation and Rising Casualties of Syrian Druze
Syrian state forces later announced they had concluded a security operation in the area to “restore security and stability” after attacks by what they described as “outlaw groups,” which had resulted in the deaths of 16 of their personnel.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), six Druze gunmen were also killed in the fighting. Additionally, SOHR reported that three Druze civilians were shot dead by Syrian security forces as they attempted to travel from the southern province of Suweida to Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.
Earlier this week, violence also erupted in the Druze-majority suburb of Jaramana, located to the east of Damascus. At least 17 people were killed in confrontations involving Druze gunmen, Syrian security forces, and pro-government fighters before calm was eventually restored, SOHR stated.
The recent wave of violence was reportedly sparked by the circulation of an audio recording on social media in which a man insulted the Prophet Muhammad. The clip provoked outrage among Sunni Muslims and was attributed to a Druze cleric, who later denied any connection. Syria’s interior ministry said a preliminary investigation had cleared him of any involvement.
Who Are Syrian Druze?
The Druze faith, an offshoot of Shia Islam, has its own distinct religious beliefs and identity. Of its estimated one million global adherents, about half reside in Syria, where they make up roughly 3% of the population. The rest live in Lebanon, Israel, and the occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz both declared that a “serious message” had been delivered to the Syrian government, urging it “to act to prevent harm to the Druze.”
Back in February, Netanyahu had warned that Israel “would not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria” from the country’s new security forces. He also demanded that much of southern Syria be completely demilitarised, citing concerns over the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which now dominates Syria’s post-Assad government.
HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, is still classified as a terrorist organisation by the UN, the US, the UK, and the EU.
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