Who're the Druze and why is Israel attacking Syria?

[ad_1] Tess Mallinder Heron BBC Monitoring

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/af96/live/cee5bc90-629f-11f0-b903-f515e3045d80.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Getty Images Druze men lifting their flags in the air, wearing white hats and black robes" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Getty Photos A recent wave of lethal sectarian violence has rocked Syria, placing into focus the nation's fragile safety panorama as the brand new authorities makes an attempt to impose its authority over the fractured territory.

On Sunday 13 July, the reported abduction of a service provider from the Druze minority sparked days of lethal clashes between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin fighters in southern Syria.

In a while Tuesday 15 July, Israel intervened militarily, saying its forces have been in search of to guard the Druze and to remove pro-government forces accused of attacking them in Suweida. At the very least 350 persons are reported to have been killed in Suweida since Sunday, in keeping with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The violence is the primary within the Druze-majority province of Suweida since preventing in April and Might between Druze fighters and Syria's new safety forces killed dozens of individuals. Previous to this, clashes in Syria's coastal provinces in March have been mentioned to have killed a whole lot of members of the Alawite minority, to which former ruler Bashar al-Assad belongs.

The lethal unrest, together with the violent Israeli strikes, have re-ignited fears of a safety breakdown in Syria, because the nation grapples with the fallout from over a decade of civil battle, and the current Islamist-led insurgent takeover of Damascus in December 2024. Syria's present chief, former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa, has vowed to guard Syria's minorities.

Who're the Druze?

The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethno-religious minority in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. The Druze religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its personal distinctive identification and beliefs.

Half of its roughly a million followers dwell in Syria, the place they make up about 3% of the inhabitants. The Druze neighborhood in Israel is essentially thought-about to be loyal to the Israeli state, owing to its members' participation in army service. There are some 152,000 Druze individuals residing in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in keeping with the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics.

They've traditionally occupied a precarious place in Syria's political order. Throughout Syria's nearly 14-year civil battle, the Druze operated their very own militias in southern Syria.

For the reason that fall of Assad in December, the Druze have resisted state makes an attempt to impose authority over southern Syria. Whereas the Druze factions in Syria are divided of their method to the brand new authorities, starting from warning to outright rejection, many object to official Syrian safety presence in Suweida and have resisted integration into the Syrian military - relying as a substitute on native militias.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/27ca/live/accac270-626a-11f0-b1b9-2b94c1f6d9f3.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A BBC map showing Syria, Israel, the occupied Golan Heights and Suweida city" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Regardless of the Syrian authorities condemning the current assaults on Druze individuals and vowing to revive order in southern Syria, its forces have additionally been accused of attacking the minority - with the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) battle monitor documenting "abstract executions" of Druze individuals by authorities forces. Such experiences have fuelled distrust amongst some members of the Druze neighborhood in direction of the authorities in Damascus.

After Assad's sudden fall, Israel has been reaching out to the Druze neighborhood close to its northern border in a bid to forge alliances with Syria's minorities. It has more and more positioned itself as a regional protector of minorities, together with the Kurds, Druze and Alawites in Syria, whereas attacking army websites in Syria and authorities forces.

Throughout the sectarian clashes in Might, Israel carried out strikes close to the presidential palace in Damascus, saying it was a warning towards assaults on the Druze. Nonetheless, some Druze figures in Syria and Lebanon have accused Israel of stoking sectarian divisions to advance its personal expansionist aspirations within the area.

Why is Israel attacking Syria now?

The newest strikes have primarily acted as a warning and a deterrent towards the Syrian military deploying to southern Syria, with Israel in search of to create a demilitarised zone within the space. Specifically, Israel fears the presence of Islamist fighters close to its northern border, alongside the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Whereas the Israeli air strikes on 15 July have been restricted to focusing on safety forces and autos in Suweida, the Israeli army expanded the scope of its assaults on 16 July, placing the Ministry of Defence and the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus. Syria has condemned the assaults.

The strikes represented probably the most critical Israeli escalation in Syria since December 2024, when it obliterated a whole lot of army websites throughout the nation and seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone within the Syrian Golan Heights. Israel has struck Syria a number of instances, with the intention of stopping the brand new authorities from constructing its army capacities - seen as a possible risk to Israeli safety.

"The warnings in Damascus have ended - now painful blows will come," Israeli International Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media on 16 July, shortly after Israeli strikes on Damascus started.

The focusing on of the Syrian army headquarters was broadcast dwell by the main Syria TV channel, from its studios positioned throughout from the constructing - with the presenter captured on air fleeing the studio.

Watch: How a day of bombing unfolded in Damascus

How has the remainder of the world reacted?

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has mentioned the US was "very involved" concerning the violence and introduced on 16 July: "We've got agreed on particular steps that may deliver this troubling and horrifying scenario to an finish tonight."

A number of Arab states, together with Lebanon, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Kuwait, have condemned the Israeli strikes focusing on Syrian authorities and safety forces. Saudi Arabia's overseas ministry denounced what it described as "Israel's blatant assaults" on Syria, whereas Iran described the assaults as "all too predictable".

Turkey, a key stakeholder in post-Assad Syria, described the strikes as "an act of sabotage towards Syria's efforts to safe peace, stability and safety".

UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres additionally condemned Israel's "escalatory" strikes in Suweida and Damascus.

What may occur subsequent?

The violence has underlined the fragility of Syria's post-war safety and political panorama, with the newest spate of violence fuelling fears of renewed sectarian assaults throughout Syria.

As Sharaa makes an attempt to determine management over Syria and to unite its numerous teams, it stays to be seen whether or not his Islamist-dominated authorities will be capable to reconcile Syria's deep-rooted sectarian divisions, stoked by years of civil battle. The sectarian clashes, together with the Israeli strikes, threaten to derail makes an attempt at state-building and post-war restoration.

Israel, for its half, is prone to proceed to understand the brand new authorities, and its affiliated Islamist fighters within the south, as a major safety risk - pushing it to pursue alliances with teams that will really feel alienated by the brand new authorities.