Who are the Druze and why is Israel attacking Syria?

While the new government tried to impose its authority to the broken region, a new wave of fatal sectarian violence shook Syria and focused on the country’s fragile security view.

On Sunday, July 13, the abduction of a merchant from the Draze Minority led to deadly conflicts between Draze militias and Sunni Bedouin fighters in Southern Syria.

Later on Tuesday, July 15, Israel intervened in a military way, saying that their forces were trying to protect Draze and eliminate the pro -government forces accused of attacking them in Suweida. According to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, at least 300 people have been killed in Suweida since Sunday.

Violence has been the first thing in Suweida state of Drze-Majority since its fight between Draze fighters and Syria’s new security forces in April and May. Before that, in March, the clashes in Syria’s coastal states killed hundreds of members of the Alevite minority, where the former ruler Bashar al -Assad belonged.

The current leader of Damascus, which leads the Islamist leadership in December 2024, with the violent Israeli strikes, has re-aligned a fear of security in Syria, as former Jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa’s protection of Syria’s minority.

Draze is an Arabic-speaking ethno-dini minority in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and occupied Golan Hills. Drze belief is a branch of Shiite Islam with its unique identity and beliefs.

Roughly, half of a million followers live in Syria and make up about 3% of the population. The Draze community in Israel is thought to be largely loyal to the Israeli state due to the participation of its members in military service. According to the Israeli Central Statistical Office, there are 152,000 DRUze people living in Israel and Golan hills occupied by Israel.

Historically, they made a precarious position in Syria’s political order. During Syria’s almost 14 -year civil war, Draze operated its own militias in Southern Syria.

Since Assad’s fall in December, Draze resisted the state’s attempts to authorize Southern Syria. While the Duze factions in Syria were divided into approaches to new authorities from careful rejecting, the official Syrian security presence in Suweida resisted many objects and integration into the Syrian Army – instead of local militias.

Although condemning the recent attacks on the Syrian government and promise to restore the order in Southern Syria, his forces are accused of attacking the Minority – British -based Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR) war monitor documents the “summary executions” of the DRUZ people by the government forces. Such reports increased insecurity against authorities in Damascus among some members of the Draze community.

After Assad’s sudden decline, Israel reaches the Draze community close to the northern border to establish alliances with Syria’s minorities. While attacking the military places of Syria and government forces, he positioned him as a regional protector of minorities, including Kurds, Draze and Alevzites.

During the sectarian clashes in May, Israel made strikes near the Presidential Palace in DamascusHe said that this was a warning against the attacks on Draze. However, some Drazy figures in Syria and Lebanon accused Israel of making sectarian divisions to advance their expansional requests in the region.

The latest strikes acted primarily as a warning and deterrent against the Syrian Army against the Syrian Army, and Israel is trying to create a militaryized region in the region. In particular, Israel is afraid of its existence along the hills of the occupied Golan, Israel, close to the northern border of Islamist warriors.

Israeli air strikes on July 15 were limited to targeting security forces and vehicles in Suweida. The Israeli Army expanded the scope of its attacks on July 16The Ministry of Defense in Damascus and the Syrian army headquarters hit. Syria condemned the attacks.

Since December 2024, strikes have represented the most serious Israeli rise in Syria, which has destroyed hundreds of military sites throughout the country. Syria seized a buffer zone without a patrol of golanS. Israel has repeatedly hit Syria to prevent new authorities, who are seen as a potential threat to Israeli security, to build their military capacity.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Shortly after the start of Israeli strikes in Damascus, on July 16, “Warnings in Damascus ended – now painful blows will come.”

The target of the Syrian military headquarters was published by the leading Syrian TV channel, live from the studios opposite the building – the presentation was caught in the air.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US is “very worried about violence” and announced on July 16: “We agreed on certain steps that will end this disturbing and horrifying situation tonight.”

Many Arab states, including Lebanon, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Kuwait, condemned the Israeli strikes targeting the Syrian government and security forces. The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry condemned what he described as “Israel’s open attacks” to Syria, while Iran attacks described “very predictable”.

Türkiye, a key stakeholder in Syria after ASAD, described strikes as a sabotage action against Syria’s efforts to secure peace, stability and security “.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel’s “climbing” strikes in Suweida and Damascus.

Violence underlined the fragility of Syria’s post -war security and political landscape, and the latest violence fueled the fear of renewed sectarian attacks throughout Syria.

While Sharaa is trying to establish control over Syria and unite various groups, the Islamist sovereign government can reconcile whether Syria can reconcile the rooted sect divisions stocked according to years of civil war. The sectarian conflicts threaten to remove state construction and post -war healing attempts with Israeli strikes.

Israel will continue to perceive new officials and affiliated Islamist fighters in the South as an important security threat – pushing it to maintain alliances with groups that may feel alienated by new authorities.