Tel Aviv, March 20 (ANI) — The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said overnight strikes in southern Syria hit a command center and combat equipment at regime military camps, carried out in response to reported attacks on Druze civilians in the As-Suwayda region.
In a post on X, the IDF said it “will not tolerate harm to Druze in Syria” and affirmed it will continue to act to protect the community. The military said it is monitoring developments in southern Syria and will take action in accordance with directives from Israel’s political leadership.
Local Druze media, cited by the Jerusalem Post, reported that Syrian internal security forces were targeted by mortar fire and that heavily armed units from a National Guard Druze paramilitary formation were seen moving in the Sweida area. The Post also referenced a recent independent international commission of inquiry report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which documented that minorities in the area have faced abductions, sexual violence and arbitrary detention.
The Druze are an ethno-religious minority concentrated mainly in Syria and Lebanon, with communities around the world. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates roughly 104,000 Druze live in Israel, including about 18,000 in the Golan Heights, and notes that Druze citizens often hold prominent roles in political, public and military life.
The IDF’s action comes amid heightened tensions across West Asia and the Gulf tied to the broader US-Israel–Iran confrontation, which intensified after the deaths of several senior Iranian commanders in strikes linked to the United States and Israel.
