At the beginning of the week, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “Soon, we will also allow Druze workers from Syria to be employed in Golan Heights communities in Israel.” However, today (Tuesday), Al Jazeera reported initial claims that agreements have been reached between the Syrian government and the Druze minority in Suwayda’s “Druze Mountain” region regarding their military and political integration into the Syrian state, along with security guarantees.
“Details Must Be Verified First”
For instance, it was reportedly assured that law enforcement personnel in the region would be entirely from the Druze community. This development follows a trend that began on Sunday, when Kurdish forces announced similar understandings with Al-Jolani regarding their political and military integration into the new Syria.
A senior Israeli official commented on the reports: “We must wait for clarification regarding this agreement and its implications for the Druze. Agreements with the Druze or the Kurds do not inherently change Israel’s fundamental approach toward the new Syrian regime,” as reported by Israel Hayom.
In recent weeks, it appeared that the new Syrian leadership, headed by Ahmad al-Sharaa al-Jolani, after defeating Bashar al-Assad’s army in a two-week offensive, was undergoing peripheral fragmentation. Syria’s three major minorities—the Kurds in the northeast, the Druze in the south, and the Alawites in the west—who together constitute about a third of the population, initially clashed with the new Islamist-leaning army, making their integration into the new Syrian framework seem unlikely. The crisis reached a deadly climax last weekend when hundreds, possibly thousands, of Alawite civilians were brutally massacred by Al-Jolani’s forces.
Israeli Intervention
In recent weeks, Israel has actively intervened to support the Druze minority in southern Syria, issuing direct warnings to the new Syrian leadership against harming them and demanding the demilitarization of the southern Syrian region to protect both Israel and the Druze communities. This intervention peaked last night (Monday to Tuesday), when the Israeli Air Force launched a series of extensive strikes against Syrian military targets near the city of Daraa, a key geographical buffer between Israel and the Suwayda province.
Until now, the Druze leadership in Syria appeared to favor Israeli protection and remained skeptical of the new Syrian regime. However, if Arab media reports prove accurate, this could contradict Israeli interests and necessitate a reassessment of its stance toward Syria and the Druze minority.
