Israeli forces have launched airstrikes in Syria to protect the city of Suweida from advancing Syrian government troops. The strikes followed two days of deadly sectarian violence that left around 200 people dead.
The clashes in Suweida began after a Druze merchant was reportedly kidnapped and robbed by Bedouin tribesmen on Friday, July 11th. The violence quickly escalated and risked becoming another wave of sectarian bloodshed. For now, Israel’s intervention appears to have stopped government forces from further targeting the city’s Druze population.
Since the Islamist-led removal of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, minority religious communities such as the Druze have been threatened by the new government of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, who now enjoys the support of British and European Union leaders.
Separately, Syrian media reports that regime forces have used drones to drop improvised bombs on Druze communities today—the same type of drones deployed by Hamas against Israeli defences during the October 7th pogrom.
