Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Thursday. This meeting comes ahead of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer's meeting with US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Paris on Thursday to discuss security matters relating to southern Syria, sources told The Jerusalem Post.
Last week, fighting erupted between Druze and local Bedouin tribes in the city of Sweida in southern Syria. In an effort to protect the Druze minority and to keep Syrian regime forces out of the buffer zone in southern Syria, Israel struck Damascus and government forces operating alongside the Bedouins. At the same time, dozens of Druze-Israeli civilians managed to cross into Syrian territory from the area of the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the North.
According to an Israeli-Druze political activist, Fares Alawi, who crossed into Syria, “Our objective is to enter as deeply as possible. We’re trying to protect our brothers, to save them from the horrendous massacre… We are witnessing terrible atrocities, images, and clips. We cannot stand silent in the face of that," he told N12.
However, amid the ongoing clashes, Netanyahu urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border into Syria. "You are endangering your lives; you could be killed, you could be kidnapped, and you are harming the IDF's efforts," Netanyahu said. "The IDF, air force, and other forces are operating. We are taking action to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime’s militias. Therefore, I ask you — return to your homes. Let the IDF do its job," he said. (Source)
