Israel has announced its readiness to defend Syria's Druze community amid escalating violence in the country, which has led to the mass killing of civilians and raised tensions between the Syrian government and minority groups.
The violence, which erupted last week, involved fighters aligned with Syria's new government and forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Israel’s government spokesperson, David Mencer, described the violence as a “massacre of civilians” and confirmed that Israel is prepared, if necessary, to defend the Druze, although he did not elaborate on how.
The Druze are Arabs who follow a religion that is an offshoot of Islam, and their communities can be found in Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.
On Monday, Syria’s Islamist-led government stated that it had completed a military operation targeting a nascent insurgency. The fighting primarily took place in coastal provinces, home to most of Syria’s Alawite minority, to which Assad belongs. The Alawites, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, have held political control over the Sunni Muslim majority for decades.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that 973 civilians were killed by government forces and allied fighters in reprisal attacks. Additionally, over 250 Alawite fighters and more than 230 members of the government security forces lost their lives in the violence. These figures have not been independently verified by Reuters.
Israel is home to a small Druze community, and approximately 24,000 Druze live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a territory Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in 1981, a move that is not widely recognized internationally.
Many Syrian Druze have relatives in the Golan Heights, and in response to the violence, Israel announced on Sunday that it would allow Syrian Druze to work in the region.
Earlier, on March 1, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the military to be prepared to defend a Druze town located in the suburbs of Damascus, should it come under attack from Syrian government forces.
The United Nations climate summit model is showing its limits, despite decades of negotiations, said COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago, calling for a new era focused on action rather than prolonged talks.
Moldova signed a €30 million ($32.5 million) agreement with the French Development Agency on Monday to improve energy efficiency, President Maia Sandu announced after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government on Monday to integrate its civilian and military institutions into the state, marking a significant shift in the country’s post-war landscape.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday ahead of high-stakes talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials, as Washington seeks substantial progress toward ending Ukraine’s war with Russia.
President Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday that Türkiye is advising Syrian authorities to help de-escalate tensions, while welcoming interim Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa’s commitment to punishing those responsible for the violence.
The United Nations climate summit model is showing its limits, despite decades of negotiations, said COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago, calling for a new era focused on action rather than prolonged talks.
Moldova signed a €30 million ($32.5 million) agreement with the French Development Agency on Monday to improve energy efficiency, President Maia Sandu announced after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government on Monday to integrate its civilian and military institutions into the state, marking a significant shift in the country’s post-war landscape.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday ahead of high-stakes talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials, as Washington seeks substantial progress toward ending Ukraine’s war with Russia.
President Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday that Türkiye is advising Syrian authorities to help de-escalate tensions, while welcoming interim Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa’s commitment to punishing those responsible for the violence.
President Donald Trump is preparing a new travel ban that could block entry for people from Afghanistan and Pakistan as early as next week. The move is part of an intensified immigration crackdown.
Italy’s League party urges the government to favour Starlink over French-led Eutelsat for satellite communication systems, citing Starlink's technological edge. The push comes amid delays in the EU’s IRIS² program, as Italy seeks secure communication solutions for officials.
Ford Motor Company will recall 35,328 vehicles due to a potential fire hazard linked to faulty LED lights in the exterior mirrors, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Tuesday.
NASA announced on Monday a series of organizational changes that include eliminating its chief scientist role and shutting down key policy offices, resulting in layoffs affecting 23 employees.
Moldova signed a €30 million ($32.5 million) agreement with the French Development Agency on Monday to improve energy efficiency, President Maia Sandu announced after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
A cargo ship rammed into an oil tanker off England’s northeast coast on Monday, igniting a fire and spilling jet fuel into the sea, forcing crews to abandon ship as explosions erupted.
Social media platform X faced outages affecting 12,000 users on Monday, following a cyberattack described by owner Elon Musk as a large, coordinated effort.
The United Nations climate summit model is showing its limits, despite decades of negotiations, said COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago, calling for a new era focused on action rather than prolonged talks.
Moldova signed a €30 million ($32.5 million) agreement with the French Development Agency on Monday to improve energy efficiency, President Maia Sandu announced after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government on Monday to integrate its civilian and military institutions into the state, marking a significant shift in the country’s post-war landscape.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday ahead of high-stakes talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials, as Washington seeks substantial progress toward ending Ukraine’s war with Russia.
President Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday that Türkiye is advising Syrian authorities to help de-escalate tensions, while welcoming interim Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa’s commitment to punishing those responsible for the violence.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment