After Druze riots in Israel, IDF bombs Syrian gunmen to shield Druze minority

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his defense minister issue joint statement claiming IDF carried out a strike in Syria against a Sunni militia which has attacked the local Druze population.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli military struck a group of Sunni militia members outside of Damascus Wednesday, following days of sectarian violence centered around predominantly Druze areas southwest of the Syrian capital.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday that they had ordered IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir to carry out the strikes in order to deter “an extremist group” responsible for a strike of attacks on members of the Druze minority group in Syria.

More than a dozen people were killed on Tuesday in clashes between pro-regime Sunni militiamen and Druze residents of the Ghouta region southwest of Damascus. Half of the dead were affiliated with the Druze community.

The fighting was centered around the city of Jaramana, allegedly sparked after a recording of a local Druze man cursing the Prophet Mohammed were circulated.

The area has for the past two months been the scene of regular clashes between pro-regime Sunni gunmen and Druze residents, whom supporters of the new government accuse of remaining loyal to the deposed Assad regime.

Israel has repeatedly vowed to defend the Syrian Druze community, which has close ties with Israel’s Druze population.

On Wednesday, dozens of Israeli Druze rioted near Acre in the Western Galilee, burning tires at an intersection and blocking traffic, backing up traffic as Israelis traveled on Memorial Day to visit the graves of fallen soldiers and relatives killed in terror attacks.

Israeli Druze cleric Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif called on Israel to aid Syrian Druze targeted by Sunni militias.

“I call on Israel, the Jews around the world and the international community to act now, immediately, to prevent a massacre,” he said. “Israel must not stand by in the face of events unfolding as we speak.”

“Israeli leaders, you must take on the burden of proof and action.”

Later on Wednesday, the IDF hit Sunni militias in the town of Sahnaya, located in Ghouta, near Jaramana.

“The IDF has carried out a warning operation and struck elements of an extremist group that was preparing to continue attacks on the Druze population in the town of Sahnaya, in the Damascus district in Syria,” Netanyahu and Katz said Wednesday afternoon.

The two said that “a stern message” was sent to the Syrian regime: “Israel expects it to act to prevent harm to the Druze.”

“Israel will not allow the Druze community in Syria to be harmed given the deep commitment to our Druze brothers in Israel, who are bound by family ties and history to their Druze brothers in Syria.”

There were no immediate reports of casualties in the IDF strike.

Benjamin NetanyahuDruzeIDFIsrael KatzSyria