Israel and the new Syrian government could be on a collision course over threats to the Druze in southern Syria. The sudden crisis developed quickly over two days since April 28. It began due to rumors about an audio recording that was supposedly insulting to Muslims. This led extremists to gather and slander the Druze community and make genocidal threats.
This appears to be a repeat of incidents that are common in the Islamic world, where alleged “insults to the prophet Mohammed” lead to lynching, murder, and massacre. This has been used for decades in Pakistan to suppress minorities. It was used in 2012 to get crowds to attack the United States embassy in Cairo, and this led to an attack that killed the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens.
Today, the use of this method has spread to Syria. Its new leadership had been trying to repair sectarian tensions that flared over the last months. Now, 13 people have been killed and others wounded in clashes.
Rudaw media, a Kurdish channel, noted, “The deadly incident comes amid a broader surge in sectarian tensions in the country, including recent violence in Alawite-majority regions that left around 1,500 people dead, highlighting Syria’s deepening communal fractures.”
The report said, “The violence broke out between Sunni and Druze locals after the circulation of a blasphemous audio, reportedly containing insults to the Prophet of Islam Muhammad. The recording, which surfaced online within the past 48 hours, was attributed to prominent Druze cleric Sheikh Marwan.”
IDF said it helped wounded Druze from Syria
The IDF said on April 30 that it had helped wounded Druze from Syria: “A short while ago, three Syrian-Druze citizens were evacuated from Syria to receive medical treatment in Israel. The injured citizens were evacuated to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed after sustaining injuries in Syrian territory. The IDF is monitoring developments in the region, and IDF troops are deployed and prepared for defense and developments in Syria.”
The army also said that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had “instructed the IDF to prepare to strike targets belonging to the Syrian regime should the violence against Druze communities continue... the IAF struck operatives on the outskirts of Damascus who had attacked Druze civilians.”
This is raising eyebrows in the region.
In the UAE, Al-Ain media reported that the IDF had carried out a warning strike to deter extremists from attacking the Druze. The region is watching closely.
Many countries have embraced the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, however, they don’t want chaos and ethnic cleansing. Some countries have backed extremists in Syria. Ankara has backed former rebel groups that it turned into proxies. For instance, Ankara-backed proxies ethnically cleansed Afrin in northwest Syria of Kurds in 2018. Turkey would likely look with favor on attacks on other minorities such as the Druze and Alawites.
In Sahnaya in Syria, where there have been clashes, extremists were caught on video accusing Druze of being “Jews” and spreading hate and conspiracy against Druze in Syria.
Al-Ain noted that “The Israeli announcement came after violence erupted that resulted in deaths in Druze-majority areas near Damascus, sparking clashes between Druze and Sunni residents. Israel views the new government in Damascus, which took power in December, as a growing threat on its borders and has pledged to defend Syrian Druze.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Damascus “affirms its absolute rejection of all forms of foreign interference in its internal affairs.”
A Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman from Sahnaya said he had no indication of an attack in the town, Al-Ain noted. “The official Syrian news agency quoted a source in the Health Ministry as saying that ‘outlaw groups’ targeting civilians and security forces in the Sahnaya area had resulted in 11 deaths and a number of wounded,” it reported.
Reports in Syria say that six additional people were killed in Daraa by snipers. “Thus, the sectarian clashes between armed men linked to the government and Druze have shifted to a new area near Damascus,” according to Agence France Presse (AFP). The Syrian administration accuses people in Sahnaya of attacking a checkpoint of the Syrian security forces.
Turkey has condemned Israel’s operations in Syria in the past. US President Donald Trump has sought to reduce tensions between Israel and Turkey.
Trump is a friend of Turkey’s president, and he listens to Ankara’s concerns. However, Israel has said it will protect the Druze in Syria. Israel has also sought to reach out to Kurds. The Kurdish-led SDF has agreed to integrate into the Syrian security forces after a meeting in early March. However, if Damascus can’t control extremists, then Kurds will not want to integrate to end up being harmed like Alawites and Druze. Extremists in Syria clearly are trying to exploit the situation to create genocidal calls against the Druze, based on alleged “insults” to their religion. This is a practice used by extremist Islamists all across the world.
Syria’s Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry affirmed its categorical rejection of all forms of external interference in its internal affairs, Syrian state media said, on April 30. “The recent calls by outlaw groups that have participated in violence on Syrian soil to demand so-called ‘international protection’ are illegal and completely rejected,” SANA noted.
“Those appeals come from parties operating outside the framework of Syrian law, in a clear attempt to internationalize a situation that must be addressed exclusively within the institutions of the Syrian state. These actions represent a direct threat to the unity of the country and undermine national efforts to restore security and stability throughout the country,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Syrian Foreign Affairs Ministry also “affirmed its unwavering commitment to protecting all components of the Syrian people without exception, including the honorable Druze community, which has always been and remains an integral part of the Syrian national fabric.’
The statement also said that “The Syrian government expresses its deep appreciation for the wise and responsible role played by a number of Druze sheikhs and leaders in extinguishing the fire of strife and preserving civil peace.”