Yassin-Kassab responded: “Most of the Druze understand that this is making their situation worse and most of the Druze don’t like Israel and are horrified with the rest of the region at what Israel’s been doing recently… I don’t think it’s designed to defend the Druze, I think it’s designed to create more chaos in Syria so Syria can’t stabilise.”
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It comes as Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire following several days of attacks on the Druze minority by Bedouin fighters in Sweida Province.
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa supported by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have agreed to a ceasefire embraced by Türkiye, Jordan and its neighbours," tweeted US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who also serves as US special envoy for Syria.
"We call upon Druze, Bedouin and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," he added.
Soon afterwards, al-Sharaa's office announced an “immediate ceasefire” and urged “all parties to fully respect” the deal.
Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, is a former Al-Qaeda terrorist.
"The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country. … We condemn all crimes committed" in Sweida, al-Sharaa later said in a televised speech on Saturday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar dismissed al-Sharaa's comments, describing them as "a display of support for the jihadist attackers.
“Al-Sharaa spiced all this with conspiracy theories and accusations against Israel,” Sa’ar said.
“Bottom line: In al-Sharaa’s Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority — Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian. This has been proven time and again over the past six months.”
He added that the international community "has a duty to ensure the security and rights of the minorities in Syria and to condition Syria’s renewed acceptance into the family of nations on their protection”.
Meanwhile, the European Union welcomed the ceasefire, saying it was “appalled” by the deadly sectarian violence in the southern Druze heartland.
“Now is the time for dialogue and for advancing a truly inclusive transition. Syria’s transitional authorities, together with local authorities, bear the responsibility to protect all Syrians without distinction,” according to a statement from Brussels.
The EU called for the perpetrators of “grave violations” of international law to be held to account.
At least 718 people have been killed in southern Syria since sectarian violence erupted on Sunday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.
The war monitor reported that among the dead were 146 Druze fighters and 245 civilians, 165 of whom were “extrajudicially executed by personnel of the [Syrian] Defence and Interior ministries.”
The violence also claimed the lives of 287 government-linked troops and 18 Bedouin fighters, along with three Bedouin civilians who were reportedly executed by Druze militias.
An additional 18 Syrians, including at least 15 government soldiers or officials, were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to the report.
The Israel Defence Forces on Wednesday attacked the entrance to the Syrian regime’s military headquarters in Damascus in response to atrocities against Druze civilians.
Jerusalem “will not allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday evening. He spoke after a situational assessment held at the IDF’s Camp Nafah, aka Camp Yitzhak, in the Golan Heights.
“We are acting with determination to prevent hostile elements from establishing a presence beyond the border, to protect the citizens of the State of Israel, and to prevent the harming of Druze civilians,” said Zamir.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out a series of airstrikes against Syrian government troops in the Sweida city area of southern Syria’s Jabal al-Druze (“Druze Mountain”) region of the Sweida Governate, targeting armoured vehicles and convoys sent by Damascus.
Katz and Netanyahu told the IDF to “immediately strike regime forces and weaponry that were brought into the Sweida area," as Damascus had violated “the demilitarization policy that was decided upon, which prohibits the entry of [regime] forces and arms into southern Syria that could endanger Israel.
“Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep fraternal alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, as well as their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria,” according to the statement.
On Thursday, Netanyahu clarified Israel’s two-pronged strategic goal —ensuring southern Syria is demilitarized and protecting the Druze.
The al-Sharaa regime violated both red lines, Netanyahu said, adding, "That was something we could not accept under any circumstances."
This article was written with Jewish News Syndicate
