BREAKING NEWS: THE LATEST SITUATION IN SYRIA: THE US AND ISRAEL ARE AT DIFFERENT POINTS, WHAT DO THE ARTICLES OF THE CEASE-FIRE INCLUDE?
Footage of members of the Druze community waving an Israeli flag on a rooftop in the southern Syrian city of Sweida was shared on social media on Wednesday afternoon.
These images have recirculated in Israeli media, particularly on Israel's public broadcaster, KAN News. Meanwhile, other images show local Druze residents of Sweida raising a Syrian government flag.
On Wednesday, Israel launched powerful airstrikes on Damascus, blowing up part of the defense ministry and hitting areas near the presidential palace. It claimed the strikes were aimed at protecting Syria's Druze minority.
- WHO ARE THE DRUZE? Formed in the 11th century within the Ismailism, a branch of the Shiite sect, the Druze take their name from the Central Asian cleric Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Darazi. The Druze, who number approximately 1 million, live primarily in Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Sectarian clashes continued for a fourth day in the predominantly Druze-populated province of Suwayda.
MORE THAN 300 DEAD
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israeli forces were "working to save our Druze brothers and eliminate the regime's gangs." The Syrian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of carrying out a "treacherous attack." More than 300 civilians and soldiers were reportedly killed in the attacks.
ISRAEL HAS BEEN TARGETED SINCE MONDAY
According to Syria's state news agency SANA, the Syrian army has begun withdrawing from Suwayda.
The agency reported that the army left the city under an agreement reached between the Syrian government and religious leaders in Sweida after "completing its pursuit" of the illegal groups.
The Israeli army began targeting Syrian security forces and their weapons deployed in Sweida on Monday for the first time since Assad's ouster in December.
Trump declined to comment
US President Donald Trump refused to comment onIsrael's attacks and the instability in the war-torn country, directing reporters to his Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that he was "very concerned" about the ongoing violence in the south of the country but believed that the incidents would end within hours, and later issued a statement saying, "We have agreed tonight on concrete steps that will end this disturbing and horrific situation." There has been no statement from the Israeli side regarding the ceasefire initiative yet.
WHAT DOES THE CEASE-FIRE INCLUDE?
Speaking to Al Arabiya, Sheikh Yusuf Jarbou, one of Syria's three main Druze spiritual leaders, said he opposes calls for foreign protection, adding, "We will not give up hope on the Syrian state."
In another interview with Al Arabiya, Sheikh Akl Sami Abu al-Mona, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Lebanon, described the agreement reached between Damascus and Suwayda as “positive” and emphasized that weapons should be in state hands only in both Syria and Lebanon.
In a video broadcast on state television, Cerbou read out 10 articles of the agreement, including the "full integration of the province of Suwayda into the Syrian state."
Until now, Druze areas were controlled by fighters from the minority community. After opposition forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after 14 years of civil war, some Druze fighters had expressed readiness to integrate into the new security forces.
The ceasefire text states that no harm will be done to civilians or their property. It also calls for the release of detainees and an investigation into the fate of the missing.
SHARA: WE ARE NOT THOSE WHO HAVE A FEAR OF WAR
Syrian interim President Ahmed Sharaa promised in a televised address on Thursday that "those who commit crimes against the Druze people will be held accountable" and said, "We reject any attempt to drag you into the hands of an external party," adding that protecting the Druze was their "priority."
"We are not among those who fear war. We have spent our lives enduring hardships and defending our people. But we have put the interests of the Syrian people ahead of chaos and destruction," he added.
'ISRAEL AND TRUMP ARE ON DIFFERENT PATHS'
Middle East Eye, in its analysis titled "Israel wants to tear up Trump's Syria vision," commented that "Israel and the US are apparently moving on different paths on Syria," adding:
"These attacks represent a significant escalation by Israel against the government of President Ahmed Sharaa. Moreover, they occur despite Sharaa's warming relations with the US and his increased security contacts with Israel," he said.
"Israel and the US are definitely not on the same page," Dareen Khalifa, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group, told Middle East Eye. "Israel claimed its attack was a response to calls for intervention from the approximately 150,000-strong Druze community in Israel."
WHAT IS THE POSITION OF DRUZE LEADERS?
Hekmat Salman al-Hajri, a prominent Syrian Druze sheikh known for his close ties to Israel, has indeed called for international support and said the minority faces a "war of complete annihilation." But other Syrian Druze leaders have rejected Israeli intervention.
'ALL ROADS LEAD TO DAMASCUS'
Israel's move to assert itself as the dominant force protecting the Druze community in southern Syria contradicts the Trump administration's vision.
MEE reported that the US earlier this year rejected Israeli demands to keep more troops in northeastern Syria, where Kurdish fighters are demanding greater autonomy.
The Trump administration wants to reduce its military presence in Syria and unite the country, made up of Christians, Muslims, Druze and Kurds, under a single central power backed by U.S. allies such as NATO member Turkey , wealthy Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
"Weakening Syria is very important in Netanyahu's mind."
Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas told MEE, "In Netanyahu's mind, weakening the Syrian state is far more important than any normalization." Last week, US ambassador to Ankara and special representative for Syria, Thomas Barrack, made a widely discussed statement: "From our perspective, there will be neither a separate Alawite state nor a separate Druze state. There is such a thing as Syria."
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