Israel launched a wave of airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, July 16, targeting military installations in Damascus and the southern province of Sweida. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were aimed at protecting Syria’s Druze minority.
Fighting began Sunday after the abduction of a Druze merchant led to violent clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in Sweida. As the conflict escalated, Syrian government forces moved in, prompting Israel to act.
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Netanyahu said the Israeli military would protect the Druze, urging Israeli citizens not to intervene. “Do not cross the border,” Netanyahu said. “You are endangering your lives.”
Who are the Druze?
The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethnoreligious minority whose faith stems from an offshoot of Shia Islam. In Syria, they are concentrated in the southern province of Sweida. In Israel, Druze citizens serve in the military and hold public office.
How severe was the damage in Damascus and Sweida?
Israeli strikes hit Syrian military convoys, tanks, weapons depots and buildings near the presidential palace and the Ministry of Defense in Damascus. The Syrian Health Ministry reported three deaths and 34 injuries in the capital.
In Sweida, airstrikes targeted government forces and heavy weaponry moving toward the region. According to the BBC, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported over 350 deaths in Sweida since Sunday, including at least 79 Druze fighters, 55 civilians, 18 Bedouin tribal fighters and at least 189 government troops.
Syrian officials accused Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure, while Druze residents accused state-aligned militias of looting local homes and businesses.
What has Syria’s government said in response?
In his most forceful remarks since taking office, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa condemned Israel’s actions as a direct attack on national sovereignty and accused Israel of trying to sow instability. He said the strikes nearly triggered a larger regional conflict.
On Wednesday night, al-Sharaa said U.S., Arab and Turkish mediation had helped avert further conflict.
The Syrian government later announced a ceasefire and began withdrawing troops from Sweida, saying local Druze elders and factions would assume security responsibilities.
What role did the US play in the ceasefire?
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that American officials had helped broker “specific steps” to end the violence. Syria’s foreign ministry welcomed the mediation and confirmed the troop withdrawals.
Though Israeli officials have not confirmed ceasefire details, Defense Minister Israel Katz said operations in Sweida would continue until Syrian forces fully withdrew.
