By: Fern Sidman

In a series of intensified military actions this week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched targeted airstrikes on Syrian regime positions near Damascus, responding to alarming reports of atrocities against the local Druze population in southern Syria. According to a report that appeared on Wednesday at the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), these strikes mark a significant escalation in Israel’s posture toward developments inside Syria and reflect a growing commitment to defending the Druze community amid mounting sectarian violence.

On Wednesday, the IDF confirmed it had attacked the entrance to the Syrian military’s regional headquarters in the Damascus area. This move, as the JNS report highlighted, comes against the backdrop of detailed reports of brutality committed by forces loyal to the Syrian regime against Druze civilians in the Sweida region of southern Syria.

“The IDF continues to monitor developments and the regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria,” the military stated, as reported by JNS. “In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the IDF is striking in the area and remains prepared for various scenarios.”

In a separate operational update, the IDF disclosed that over the past 24 hours, Israeli Air Force aircraft have attacked a range of military assets en route to the Sweida region. Targets have included tanks, rocket launchers, combat equipment, and heavily armed pickup trucks, all reportedly advancing toward the embattled Druze population.

“Additionally, access routes were attacked to establish blockades in the area,” the IDF announced in statements. These strategic strikes are aimed at disrupting reinforcements and supplies destined for Syrian regime forces operating against Druze militias.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning on Wednesday, underscoring Israel’s intent to escalate military operations if threats to the Druze population persist. “The Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and withdraw its forces,” Katz declared, as reported by JNS. He emphasized Israel’s long-standing commitment to the Druze community and reiterated the enforcement of Israel’s disarmament policy in southern Syria.

Katz did not mince words in his warning to Damascus: “The IDF will continue to strike until regime forces withdraw—and will soon raise the level of its responses if the message is not understood,” he said.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), frequently cited by JNS, updated the casualty figures from the ongoing clashes, placing the death toll at 248 as of Wednesday. The watchdog, known for its opposition to the Syrian regime, also reported extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure in the Sweida region, including the leveling of churches and residential properties. SOHR characterized the Syrian military’s actions as assaults on the “dignity and property” of the Druze population.

In anticipation of potential unrest along Israel’s northern frontier, the IDF has fortified its border presence with Syria by deploying three additional companies. Reinforcements include units from the Border Police and the Golani Brigade’s training base, supplementing an existing Border Police deployment initiated on Tuesday. Military Police units are also conducting operations along the volatile border zone.

The delicate balance between national security and community solidarity was further tested on Wednesday when Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, disclosed in a Ynet interview that he had met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz, as per the JNS report. Tarif emphasized the importance of ongoing dialogue and expressed hope for intensified Israeli military action.

Meanwhile, Druze leaders inside Israel declared a general strike and called for “days of rage” in protest of the violence engulfing their Syrian brethren. “Silence and standing by are not possible,” community leaders proclaimed. They called on local Druze to prepare to cross into Syria to offer assistance—a move that brought an immediate IDF response.

Dozens of Druze civilians crossed the border fence into Syria but were swiftly intercepted and returned by IDF forces. Similar incidents occurred on Wednesday, with Israeli civilians entering Syrian territory near Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Golan Heights. “IDF troops are currently operating to safely return the civilians who crossed the border,” the military announced.

The IDF also faced attempts by groups from the Syrian side to cross into Israel. According to the information contained in the JNS report, “dozens” of suspects tried to infiltrate Israeli territory from the Hader area in southern Syria. The military confirmed that IDF soldiers, in cooperation with Border Police units, acted swiftly to prevent any incursions and disperse the gatherings.

Earlier this week, the IDF launched a series of airstrikes targeting Syrian regime troops in the Sweida area, specifically focusing on armored convoys and military assets sent by Damascus. These preemptive strikes were aimed at protecting the Druze militias engaged in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces, as per the JNS report.

“The IDF struck armored vehicles, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, and rocket launchers, as well as access routes, to disrupt their arrival in the area,” Israeli military officials stated in a detailed report published by JNS.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz explicitly ordered the IDF to act immediately against regime forces and weaponry deployed in the Sweida region. This decision was rooted in enforcing Israel’s established demilitarization policy, which prohibits hostile regime elements and weaponry from operating in southern Syria.

“Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep fraternal alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, as well as their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria,” stated the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Syrian regime’s latest offensive saw large columns of troops rolling into Sweida on Tuesday morning, just one day after the IDF had intervened by striking Syrian tanks advancing toward Jabal al-Druze. JNS reported that this significant movement of Syrian forces followed an escalation of sectarian clashes in the region.

Adding to the outcry, Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, used his X account to chronicle the alleged atrocities committed by Syrian regime forces against the Druze. Chikli likened the violence to the horrors inflicted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

“The Islamo-Nazis of Al-Sharaa are forcing their victims to bark like dogs before murdering them,” Chikli wrote. “This is the October 7th of the Druze minority in Syria—and it’s simply astonishing to witness the total silence of Western leadership,” his message continued, as was noted in the JNS report.

Chikli did not shy away from condemning global leaders, singling out French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres and Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, for their inaction in the face of reported human rights violations.

The Syrian regime, now led by Ahmed al-Sharaa—also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a former Al-Qaeda operative—came to power following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by Sunni jihadist factions in December 2024. In this power vacuum, Israel secured control over strategic portions of the Syrian Golan Heights to establish a buffer zone aimed at safeguarding Israeli border communities.

During a January visit to the Syrian-controlled Hermon region, Defense Minister Katz reaffirmed Israel’s long-term security posture. As quoted by JNS, Katz declared, “The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, as well as all the residents of Israel.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his latest statements, firmly reiterated that Israel will not permit al-Sharaa’s forces to establish a presence south of Damascus—a position that underscores Israel’s broader strategic concerns about regional stability and the protection of allied minority groups.