CNN
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Israel has been carrying out strikes on Syria since the fall of the Assad regime last December. This week saw a major escalation, when Israel said it attacked Syria to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the center of clashes with government loyalists.
But Israel’s decision to strike is also likely related to its opposition of the current Syrian government, led by a former jihadist, President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The Syrian government and Druze leaders agreed a ceasefire Wednesday after several days of clashes that killed at least 321 people and injured more than 436 others, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), but it remains to be seen whether it will last.
Here’s what to know.
The Druze are an Arab religious group of roughly one million people who primarily live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Originating in Egypt in the 11th century, the group, which is internally divided into two branches, practices an offshoot of Islam which permits no converts – either to or from the religion – and no intermarriage.
In Syria, the Druze community is concentrated around three main provinces close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the south of the country.
More than 20,000 Druze live in the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967, before formally annexing it in 1981. Druze share the territory with around 25,000 Jewish settlers, spread across more than 30 settlements.
Most of the Druze living in the Golan identify as Syrian and rejected an offer of Israeli citizenship when Israel seized the region. Those who refused were given Israeli residency cards but are not considered Israeli citizens.
Unlike the Syrian Druze, the Druze living within Israel’s borders – who lack a unifying figurehead – are largely loyal to the state, with some serving in high-ranking positions in the Israeli military.
In southern Syria, where the Druze form a majority in the Suwayda province, the community was at times caught between the forces of the former Assad regime and extremist groups during Syria’s ten-year civil war.
After overthrowing longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, al-Sharaa pledged inclusion and vowed to protect all of Syria’s diverse communities.
But the Druze remain cautious of the new president. They have expressed concerns over the exclusion of some of their leaders from al-Sharaa’s national dialogue processes and limited representation in the new government, which includes only one Druze minister.
And Sunni extremist forces loyal to him have continued to violently confront religious minorities.
In March, hundreds of people were killed during a crackdown on the Alawite sect – to which Assad belonged – in the western city of Latakia, and in April, clashes between pro-government armed forces and Druze militias left at least 100 people dead.
The latest clashes erupted over the weekend when Syrian government forces intervened following attacks between the Druze and local Bedouin tribes.
The escalating violence involved extrajudicial killings, exchanges of artillery, and airstrikes by Israeli forces, monitoring group the Syrian Network for Human Rights said.
That, in turn, triggered renewed Israeli airstrikes, with Israel citing a commitment to protect the Druze.
Following discussions involving the US, Syria’s government agreed to withdraw its troops and announced a new ceasefire with the Druze militia Wednesday.
Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said on he’d chosen to put his people “above chaos and destruction” and vowed to protect the Druze.
When Israel intervened, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is “committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.”
But there are other factors at play, with Israel keen to protect its borders as it expands its military presence in Syria.
Netanyahu has previously referred to the new Damascus government as an “extremist Islamic regime” and a threat to the state of Israel. In May, an Israeli official told CNN that the prime minister had asked Trump not to remove sanctions on Syria, saying he feared it would lead to a repeat of the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel.
The Israeli government had also unilaterally declared a demilitarization zone in Syria that “prohibits the introduction of forces and weapons into southern Syria,” according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.
The Syrian government has rejected Israel’s declaration of a demilitarized zone and has, along with the international community, repeatedly called on Israel to cease military actions that violate its sovereignty.
Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has both seized more territory in Syria and repeatedly launched strikes on the country, with the stated aim of preventing the reconstruction of military capabilities and rooting out militancy that could threaten its security.
The Israeli attacks have continued despite its closest ally, the United States, pushing for Israel to normalize relations with Syria now that it is under the control of a new government.
The US has been trying to steer countries in the region towards a different path and envisions Syria signing onto the Abraham Accords – a series of agreements normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab countries. A senior administration official told CNN last month that it is “to Syria’s benefit to lean towards Israel.”
In May, US President Donald Trump held a meeting with Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the first high-level US-Syria meeting for decades.
Israel has indicated its inclination to expand those agreements. After its deadly conflict with Iran, Netanyahu said the Israeli “victory” paved a way for the “dramatic expansion of the peace agreements” adding that Israel is “working on this vigorously.”
Israel has held direct and indirect talks with the new Syrian government, an indication of shifting dynamics between the former foes since the fall of the Assad regime.
But Israel’s repeated attacks on Syrian territory and its expanded military presence in the country have the potential to complicate those ambitions.
The ceasefire appears to be holding, with footage showing the Syrian government honoring its commitment and pulling out troops from Suwayda.
But it remains uncertain how long it will last, with one prominent Druze leader rejecting the new deal.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday hailed the ceasefire as “significant,” while also warning that Israel “will continue to act as necessary.”
The violence underlines the challenges al-Sharaa faces trying to consolidate authority over the Syria, which is still recovering from more than a decade of civil war. He must find a way of overcoming deep mistrust among Syria’s diverse ethic and religious groups as he ends the country’s long international isolation.
Should Israel continue with its strikes his efforts will only be more complicated.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
