Netanyahu vows no Syrian forces south of Damascus, as Bedouins, Druze fight despite truce

Bedouin commander says ceasefire only applies to Damascus government, declares offensive with aim to free Bedouins held by Druze, after regime’s retreat during IDF strikes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will continue to use military means to enforce its two red lines in Syria — the demilitarization of the area south of Damascus, near Israel’s border, and the protection of the country’s Druze minority there.

Netanyahu said the Damascus regime, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, violated both those red lines in recent days. “It sent an army south of Damascus, into the area that should be demilitarized, and it began to massacre the Druze. We could not accept this in any way,” he said in a video statement.

The premier added that the ceasefire Sharaa announced in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province, which included the withdrawal of regime troops, “was achieved through force. Not through requests, not through pleas — through force.”“We acted, and we will continue to act as necessary,” Netanyahu promised.    (Read More)