Mideast: Israel Attacks Syria
ANAGHA SUBHASH NAIR
There are three key factors to understand in the current conflict between Syria and Israel, which lie beyond the typical frustrations between Arab countries and the Jewish nation. Firstly, Syria’s large population of Druze people, a religious minority that lives in the Levant. Israel often claims sovereignty over Druze populations and positions itself as their defender. Second, Syria and Israel have a contested border. After the 1967 war, Israel occupied a portion of Syria called the Golan Heights. After the recent revolution in Syria, Israel encroached slightly further, claiming what used to be the buffer zone. Thirdly, Turkey is a primary supporter of Syria’s current leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and his militia, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Israel and Turkey are competing for influence in the Levant.
Since December 2024, when Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani) toppled the Assad regime, Israel has struck Syria over 700 times. The new Syrian president has mainly been patient, understanding that Israel has legitimate security concerns. However, as Israel continues to take more land in southwestern Syria, demand demilitarized zones, and overall challenge Syria’s sovereignty, al-Sharaa’s patience appears to be growing thin.
The first Israeli strikes against al-Sharaa’s Syria were to destroy the outgoing government’s military capacity. Al-Sharaa’ and his forces tacitly accepted this as weakening their enemy, the Assad government.
Al-Sharaa remained complacent because it meant there would be no caches of weapons scattered throughout his country for anyone to seize while he consolidated his rule.
In April of this year, violence erupted between armed Druze and government security members. The latest escalation from Israel comes in the name of protecting Druze Syrians from the new government.
A Syrian radio station broadcasted a falsified audio recording containing blasphemous remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, falsely attributing them to a Druze religious leader. Though it was proven to be fake, it was enough to spark violence. Members of the Syrian government’s security force, alongside Islamist gunmen, attacked Druze civilians and gunmen in a Druze suburb south of Damascus. Druze gunmen fought back, and several clashes occurred across Druze territories in southern Syria.
Tensions have calmed down since Druze leaders met with Syrian government officials and came to an agreement. Al-Sharaa’s officials promised increased security in Druze areas and protection from extremist violence in exchange for Druze gunmen handing over weapons to the Syrian government and abiding by Syrian law.
Before this agreement was reached, however, some Druze Syrians, more friendly with Israel, appealed to Netanyahu to protect the Druze in Syria under attack. The Israeli government wasted no time in launching its attack. Of course, the Druze in Syria are very divided on their views of Israel, and not everyone was happy with this approach.
According to the Israeli Defence Forces, they quickly struck militant bases that were prepping to attack Druze communities, and they even struck Syrian government officials in Damascus, both to attack specific anti-Druze officials and to send a message to al-Sharaa’s government that they were not yet at peace.
Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948. Syria does not recognize Israel as a nation, and travel by citizens of the countries between one another is forbidden, except for some Druze people.
Israel also occupied the demilitarized zone, which was a narrow strip of neutral land that served as a buffer between Israel and Syria, thanks to a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied the Golan Heights, which it occupies to this day, and the United States now considers it sovereign Israeli territory. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has maintained the buffer zone since the Yom Kippur War’s end. A large number of Druze people occupy the Golan Heights. The Druze are a religious minority found in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. They are Arabic-speaking, but the Druze identity often supersedes the Arab identity in politics. Some Druze in the Golan Heights now consider themselves Israeli, while some still consider themselves Syrian.
Israel’s motivations here are unclear and likely varied in nature. They are probably interested in the security of Druze people globally because they have influential Druze Israelis who make their case, and because it defends their liberal reputation to protect diversity in the Middle East; Particularly in a moment where Israel’s deadly war in Gaza has soiled its name across the world and diminished its reputation as a liberal democracy.
However, defending the Druze also gave Israel cover to put greater pressure on the new Syrian government to negotiate with them. Israel wants recognition and a peace agreement with Syria, and they are showing their hand at how deftly they can wage war along Syria’s borders. By encroaching on Syria territorially in the Golan Heights area, demanding a disarmed South, and attacking well inside the borders, Israel places bargaining chips on the negotiating table to be leveraged in diplomacy.
In May, US President Donald Trump visited the Middle East for the first time in his second term. He made two decisions during that trip that had a profound impact on Israeli-Syrian relations. Firstly, he declined to visit Israel. Many observers were surprised by this and viewed it as a message to Israeli PM Netanyahu that Israel’s priorities were not President Trump’s priorities. Secondly, President Trump announced he intended to lift all sanctions on the Syrian economy. The Arab leaders in attendance at his speech erupted in applause at this announcement.
For Syria, this could mean a new historical era. Under Assad’s brutal regime, US sanctions ground the Syrian economy to a halt to punish the dictator for aiding terrorism and dissuade his oppressive tactics. The lifting of US sanctions is vital for al-Sharaa’s attempts to rebuild his nation.
The decision startled Israeli tacticians. Some Israeli strategists were hopeful that the US would use sanctions as a bargaining tool to win certain concessions such as recognizing Israel, disavowing Islamists in the government, scheduling elections or other indications of a less Russo-Iran aligned Syria.
Israel’s language regarding Syria has softened since President Trump’s announcement, as they try to present a united front with US policymakers.
Israel is very wary of Turkish President Erdogan increasing Turkish influence in Syria. Turkey is a friendly nation with the EU and the US, presents itself as a democracy, boasts a large economy and army, and is a member of NATO. It threatens Israel as a Western ally in the Middle East. However, Turkey and Israel are quite opposed, with Turkey becoming more supportive of Islamist politics and refusing to ally with Israel, citing their “genocidal war in Gaza.”Furthermore, President Trump is a fan of President Erdogan.
Syria continues to be a battleground for competing geopolitical interests. Its diverse population, comprising Sunni Muslims, Alawites, Syriac Christians, Druze, and Kurds, ensures that the Syrian diaspora is diverse in political views. Furthermore, they border Israel, an increasingly rogue Middle Eastern neighbor. The US President, an influential voice in Middle Eastern affairs, is infamously unpredictable. The infant Syrian government will make its goals known over the next year as sanctions lift. Will they solidify enmity with Israel? Will they make peace with all neighbors? Will al-Sharaa make a play for friendship with the US or will he turn to neighbors closer to home? All the uncertainty is causing Israel’s aggressive posture.
