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<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Syrian Bloodshed in Sweida and Israel\u2019s Insidious Agenda</h1>July 17, 2025</div>
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<img src="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Druze_sweida_VIDEO.png" alt="" title="Druze_sweida_VIDEO" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="467" height="313" style="margin-right: 25px;">
Druze people raising an Israeli flag atop a building in Sweida, southern Syria. (Photo: video grab)
<p><strong>By <a href="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/writers/robert-inlakesh" title="Display all articles for Robert Inlakesh">Robert Inlakesh</a></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<h3><span>Back in 2013, Israel began working on a project to expand its
so-called \u201cbuffer zone\u201d deep into southern Syria and for it to
eventually seize more territory in the illegally occupied Golan Heights.</span></h3>
</blockquote>
<p><span>The invasion of the Druze majority city of Sweida, by forces
aligned with the Syrian government, opened the stage for further Israeli
land-grabs in the south of the country and all at the expense of
Syria\u2019s civilian population. Yet, the dangerous escalation could also
breed new opportunities in the long run.</span></p>
<p><span>While some may find the ongoing bloodshed in southern Syria
confusing, it is rather simple to understand when the events transpiring
are put into the proper context and the sectarian talking points are
exposed for what they are.</span></p>
<p><span>Taking advantage of a bloodbath in southern Syria, Israel has
swept in to pursue its own expansionist agenda in the region, launching
airstrikes that have killed both Syrian security forces and civilians
alike. Meanwhile, the debate rages on over who is truly fighting who and
for what reasons.</span></p>
<h4><b>How Did This Start?</b></h4>
<p><span>The internecine conflict began earlier this week, after a group
of Bedouin Arab militants kidnapped a Druze trader who was travelling
on the road to Damascus, on July 11.</span></p>
<p><span>These groups also reportedly carried out an armed assault
against Druze forces at a checkpoint in the Sweida province. The
incident led to an armed response from Druze militia forces, followed by
a string of kidnappings committed by Bedouin fighters.</span></p>
<p><span>By Sunday, this had escalated into gun battles in the streets
between Druze and Bedouin militias. In response to this, groups of
soldiers belonging to the government in Damascus were sent south,
claiming to be acting under orders to de-escalate tensions and negotiate
a truce.</span></p>
<p><span>Instead, the local Druze population reported that the Syrian
Army was siding with the Bedouin militiamen. The next event to be
reported were clashes between Druze militias and the Syrian government
forces.</span></p>
<p><span>Suddenly there then came a larger mobilization of tribal
forces, alongside al-Qaeda linked fighters that decided to join in the
battle against the Druze minority groups armed forces. Videos began
emerging, from eastern Syria\u2019s Deir Ezzor province, of militants
wielding arms and jumping on pick up trucks, heading towards Sweida.</span></p>
<p><span>Footage was also published of the capture of an elderly Druze
man, who was blindfolded and subjected to sectarian insults by militants
sporting Daesh patches on their uniforms.</span></p>
<p><span>Next, came a larger mobilization of Syrian government forces
from Damascus, which the authorities claimed was geared towards
safeguarding civilians and de-escalating tensions. Yet, it soon became
clear that they were acting on orders to capture the City of Sweida and
defeat the Druze Military Council militia that had entered the fight.</span></p>
<p><span>It wasn\u2019t long before horror stories began emerging of
sectarian violence impacting Druze civilians. Although many claims have
not been verified, evidence was produced that confirmed the murder of
civilians, including women and children. </span></p>
<p><span>Many of these reports do appear to match the kinds of field
executions that took place a few months ago against the Alawite minority
sect in Syria\u2019s coastal regime, where thousands of civilians were
murdered by Syrian government-aligned militants.</span></p>
<p><span>At the same time, the narrative adopted by local Syrian media
aligned with the government in Damascus claims that Druze separatists
started the fight, both with the Syrian Armed Forces and Bedouin clans.
While it is unclear who started the violence between the army and Druze
forces, it is clear that Bedouin militiamen were the first to initiate
the conflict.</span></p>
<p><span>There are indeed groups of Druze separatists, some of whom are
aligned with Israel. However, the majority of the Syrian Druze
population along with their leadership are opposed to the Israelis,
favoring an agreement with the government in Damascus instead of
operating under the offered \u201cprotection\u201d of the Israeli military.</span></p>
<p><span>One of the most divisive figures in the Druze spiritual
leadership is Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who has been making demands of the
Syrian leadership that some have claimed are aimed at granting
sectarian concessions, although this is a disputed interpretation. Most
of the Druze leaders in Syria have repeatedly sought to strike deals
with Syria\u2019s government that is led by Ahmed al-Shara\u2019a.</span></p>
<p><span>Then there are local armed groups from whom separatist
sentiments are expressed, normally these militants fall under the banner
of what is known as the Karama groups.</span></p>
<p><b>How Israel has Used The Bloodshed to Its Favor</b></p>
<p><span>Soon after the Syrian Army and its allied militia forces \u2013 who
travelled from places like Idlib, Damascus and Homs to fight \u2013 reached
the outskirts of the city of Sweida, Israel began launching airstrikes
against their positions. </span></p>
<p><span>According to Axios News, the authorities in Damascus had even
coordinated the movement of their tanks towards Sweida with Israel, as a
precautionary measure to demonstrate they would not pose a threat to
the Israelis. The Israeli military decided to strike the Syrian Army
forces anyway.</span></p>
<p><span>Eventually the Israeli bombing campaign in southern Syria
escalated and over 100 airstrikes were committed within 24 hours,
leading up to the dramatic bombardment of the Syrian ministry of defence
building in Damascus. Initial reports estimated that at least 700
Syrian government aligned fighters were wiped out by Israel\u2019s
airstrikes.</span></p>
<p><span>In order to make sense of what is currently transpiring, it is
essential to understand that although there is technically a government
in Damascus, it does not have much control over the country at all.
Instead, local militias control areas throughout Syria and hold more
power than the government\u2019s security forces in many cases.</span></p>
<p><span>Also, when we look at the new Syrian Army, it is more akin to a
collection of militias than a regular military, as the Syrian Arab Army
under the previous government was dismantled. This army doesn\u2019t have
access to many long range missile systems, it possesses no aircraft, no
navy and has very limited experience. </span></p>
<p><span>Therefore, the Syrian Army relies upon its allied militant
groups who are composed of often hardline sectarian fighters who adhere
to an al-Qaeda type mentality. Many of these groups openly brandish
Daesh flags and sport Al-Qaeda emblems. They are, honestly put,
extremist sectarian death squads that often openly advocate for the
slaughter of Shia\u2019s, Christians, Alawites, Kurds, Druze and other Sunnis
who do not adhere to their Salafist ideology.</span></p>
<p><span>Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is the Party of Ahmed
al-Shara\u2019a, is cut from the same exact cloth itself. HTS has long been a
Takfiri group, which means that it believes in its power to determine
that fellow Muslims and minority religious groups who don\u2019t follow their
interpretation of Islam, are disbelievers who should be killed or
forced to \u201crepent\u201d. </span></p>
<p><span>Why this is all relevant, is because viewing the ongoing
tensions in southern Syria as the \u201cgovernment\u201d against \u201cthe Druze\u201d is
totally inaccurate. And this is where Israel comes in.</span></p>
<p><span>Back in 2013, Israel began working on a project to expand its
so-called \u201cbuffer zone\u201d deep into southern Syria and for it to
eventually seize more territory in the illegally occupied Golan Heights,
which it formally annexed in 1981.</span></p>
<p><span>In order to do this, the Israelis drew up a number of plans,
with the help of both Jordan and the United States. One major issue on
Israel\u2019s agenda was to back Druze separatists to carve out a pro-Israeli
Druze ethno-State in southern Syria.</span></p>
<p><span>Also in 2013, Tel Aviv began backing some dozen Syrian
opposition groups in south Syria, most of whom were tied to al-Qaeda,
Daesh or both. One of those groups was Jabhat al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda\u2019s
Syrian branch that was actively fighting alongside Daesh at the time,
before falling out with the extremist group later. </span></p>
<p><span>Jabhat al-Nusra would later be rebranded as HTS, but back
during the days when it was receiving Israel medical, financial and
military support, it was also busy committing sectarian massacres
against the Druze in Syria.</span></p>
<p><span>For Israel it was a simple formula, back the strongest groups
fighting the Syrian State and those who were killing minorities, thus
dividing the Syrian population, then also make inroads with the
persecuted minority groups to use them against their own countrymen too.</span></p>
<p><span>On top of Israel\u2019s agenda to annex more territory from Syria
under the banner of its \u201cGreater Israel Project\u201d, it is also launching
airstrikes against Syrian government forces and their allies for two
other reasons. The first is to ensure Syria remains militarily divided
and crippled, while the second is to appease the Israeli Druze
population.</span></p>
<p><span>It was reported on Wednesday that over 1,000 Israeli Druze had
crossed into Syria, on their own, in order to fight for the Syrian Druze
population in Sweida. For Israel\u2019s Druze population, this issue is
non-negotiable, they demand the Israeli military\u2019s intervention.</span></p>
<p><span>Although the Druze minority in occupied Palestine are
technically second class citizens, they still serve in the Israeli
military and hold key positions within it. So for Israel\u2019s Prime
Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, when he sees that Israeli Druze are
burning tires in the streets and protesting in favour of intervention,
he understands that action should be taken in order to avoid turmoil
within Israel itself.</span></p>
<p><span>This is where things could potentially backfire for Tel Aviv,
because if they end up getting bogged down in Syria at some point, it
may cause a major military strain. However, so far the Syrian government
has allowed Israel to steal its territory, occupy its villages, kill
hundreds of fighters and civilians, while destroying its strategic
military arsenal. </span></p>
<p><span>The Syrian leadership decided it would hand over its national
sovereignty in exchange for becoming a puppet regime of the US, UK, EU
and to some extent Turkiye also. It has cracked down on the Palestinian
resistance inside the country, blocked weapons flowing to Hezbollah in
Lebanon and branded the Iranian led Axis of Resistance as its only
enemy.</span></p>
<p><span>It is important to understand that the Syrian leadership
decided to exchange economic relief for all of its national pride and
sovereignty, setting up an equation where it is forced to follow the
dictates of its Western allies, all of which place Israel as their
regional priority. Therefore, everytime that Ahmed al-Shara\u2019a steps
slightly out of line, his men are killed and Damascus is subjected to
bombardment.</span></p>
<p><span>The HTS government established ties with Israel within three
days of capturing Damascus, since then it has worked on \u201csecurity
coordination\u201d and even participated in normalisation talks. Syria\u2019s
national media agency, SANA, even opened up a Hebrew language webpage,
and Israeli journalists are invited to the nation\u2019s capital. The body of
an Israeli soldier captured in 1982, was handed over to Israel. The
belongings of the infamous Israeli spy Eli Cohen were also returned as a
good will gesture.</span></p><p><span>In other words, up until this moment the Syrian State has bowed
down to Israel at every turn and accepted a slave to master
relationship. Truthfully, Damascus only has two options; full
capitulation and the relinquishing of its sovereignty, as it has been
doing; or resistance that will probably result in an Israeli
decapitation strike on its leadership, followed by war.</span></p>
<p><span>A war with Israel could be the only route to reviving Syria as a
nation, it will prove extremely costly. Ultimately, the Israelis are
not in the position to fight a long war with Syria, especially
considering how drained their military is and the multitude of fronts
that they are currently fighting on. Yet, this appears to be an
extremely unlikely outcome.</span></p>
<p><span>The only reason why Ahmed al-Shara\u2019a would decide to take
retaliatory action against Israel, is in the event that his own allied
militant forces become so enraged over his inaction against Tel Aviv\u2019s
unprovoked aggression that they threaten his rule.</span></p>
<p><i><span>(The Palestine Chronicle)</span></i></p>
<div>
<p><br></p>
<p><span><em>\u2013 Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary
filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He
contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle. </em></span></p></div>
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