Who are Syria's Druze, caught in sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes?

Israel has claimed that its military stepped in to protect the Druze community in Syria and eliminate pro-government forces accused of attacking them

Israel has launched air strikes in southern Syria after days of intense clashes between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin fighters in the province of Suweida, according to several media reports. Fighting broke out on July 13 following the reported abduction of a Druze merchant, triggering violence that has left at least 350 people dead, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

 

On July 15, Israel said its military stepped in to protect the Druze community and eliminate pro-government forces accused of attacking them. The strikes initially targeted Syrian security forces and military vehicles in Suweida but expanded the following day to include the Ministry of Defence and army headquarters in Damascus. Syrian authorities have condemned the attacks.

 

Who are the Druze, caught between Damascus and militias?

 

The Druze community, who represent about 3 per cent of Syria’s population, have historically operated local militias in southern regions, resisting integration into national forces. Since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, many Druze factions have opposed the new government’s attempts to assert authority over Suweida.

 

Syria’s current leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has pledged to safeguard the country’s minorities. However, the SOHR has documented incidents of government forces attacking Druze civilians, including reports of summary executions, fuelling mistrust between the community and Damascus, according to a BBC report.

 

The current violence in Suweida is the first major unrest in the Druze-majority region since fighting between Druze militias and Syrian security forces in April and May. Combined with Israeli air strikes, the clashes highlight Syria’s fragile security landscape following over a decade of civil conflict and the Islamist-led takeover of Damascus in December 2024.

 

Israeli military escalation in Syria the largest since December 2024

 

The latest strikes are Israel’s most significant military escalation in Syria since December 2024, when it carried out extensive operations across Syrian territory and seized a United Nations buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Israeli officials said their primary goal is to prevent Syrian army deployments near its northern border and establish a demilitarised zone in southern Syria, citing concerns over Islamist fighter presence near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

 

In recent months, Israel has attempted to build relations with Syria’s minority groups, specifically the Druze, Kurds, and Alawites. Israel’s officials have depicted the state as a defender of minorities in the region amid Syria's on-going instability. On the contrary, some Druze leaders in Syria and Lebanon claim that Israel promotes sectarian divisions to achieve its own strategic ends in the region.

 

As Ahmed al-Sharaa's government implements strategies to stabilise the country, sectarian standoffs and foreign involvement pose a threat to reconstruction and state-building. Analysts are of the opinion that Israel will likely have a suspicious view of Syria's new Islamist-aligned leadership and continue military actions against the Syrian government while promoting alliances with marginalised groups in southern Syria.