Why Israel attacked Syria because of the Druze. What you need to know
In late April, sectarian conflict broke out in Syria between Sunnis and Druze, followers of various branches of Islam. Israel, which also has Druze residents, hastened to protect the national minority. Tel Aviv fired at Syrian military installations, but was soon attacked by itself, but from Yemen. Izvestia investigated the likelihood of a new large-scale conflict in the Middle East.
How did the Druze purge begin?
• After the resignation of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, a transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation), came to power. This has raised concerns among religious minorities, including the Druze, due to the possible imposition of Sunni Islam and persecution by the authorities. The new Syrian regime has already clashed with the Alawites (including the ex-president of Syria) and the Kurds. Therefore, the conflict with the Druze was a matter of time.
The Druze are a closed religious group of Arabs that arose around the 11th century on the basis of Ismailism, but separated into an independent doctrine. It is believed that they believe in the transmigration of souls, the hidden divine prophet Al-Hakim and deny the literal understanding of religious texts.
• In late April, tensions in Syria increased after the spread of a fake audio recording insulting the Prophet Muhammad, which was allegedly recorded by Druze. On April 29, clashes broke out in the suburbs of Damascus between Druze and Sunni Islamist militants loyal to the authorities. According to various media reports, from 22 to 100 people, including civilians, were killed as a result of the fighting. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Syrian Druze, compared the attack on the community to an "unjustified campaign of genocide."
• After several days of skirmishes, the Syrian government sent security forces to the Druze areas to fight the "criminal gangs." Some Druze decided to surrender and began handing over weapons to the Syrian authorities. Nevertheless, the situation remains tense.
Why did the conflict between Syria and Israel start?
• There are over 100,000 Druze living in Israel. They are officially recognized as a religious denomination. Druze can serve in the Israeli army along with Jews. After tensions in Syria escalated, Israel intervened, claiming to protect the Druze, and on May 2 launched airstrikes against Syrian military installations. The Israeli media called the series of air attacks the most powerful since the beginning of the year. In particular, the area of Damascus, where the presidential palace is located, came under fire.
• At the same time, Jerusalem is interested not only in protecting the Syrian national minorities, but also in strengthening its position in the region. Most of the Syrian Druze live in the Golan Heights. Israel wants to take advantage of internal political tensions to expand the buffer zone in this disputed territory. As a result, the Druze found themselves between the new Islamist regime, which seeks to centralize power, and Israel, which is trying to occupy new territories, protecting the interests of the Syrian national minorities.
• However, Israel itself is also under fire, but from the Yemeni Houthis. They resumed attacks on Israeli territory after Tel Aviv began shelling the Gaza Strip again. In particular, Ben Gurion Airport was shelled. The Israeli Defense Ministry promised a "sevenfold response," but the Houthis threaten to continue shelling the airport, which will lead to a complete air blockade of the country. In the situation of the escalating conflict in Syria, it is unclear whether Tel Aviv will be able to successfully conduct military operations on several fronts at once.
How likely is third-country intervention
• After the clashes began, the Druze called on the international community to deploy international forces in Syria. At the same time, the new Syrian regime stressed that it would do everything possible to prevent foreign interference in the domestic political situation.
• Apart from Israel, so far no one in the international community is interested in real participation in a possible full-scale conflict. The new White House administration, led by Donald Trump, has already stressed that it will prioritize its domestic policy issues. European countries have also expressed no desire to take control of the situation in Syria. Russia also probably won't be involved in conflict resolution.
• Turkey, which has supported the new Syrian regime, has already condemned the Israeli airstrikes. Ankara is confident that Israel is not interested in protecting national minorities, but in destabilizing the situation in Syria. At the moment, the international community is ready only at the diplomatic level to condemn the oppression of national minorities in Syria and Israeli strikes on Syrian territory.
When writing the material, Izvestia talked and took into account the opinions:
- political scientist Dmitry Solonnikov;
- political scientist Yuri Svetov;
- Nikolai Sukhov, a leading researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
- Leonid Tsukanov, an expert of the Russian Council on International Affairs.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
