Jerusalem says strikes aim to prevent regime troop buildup and enforce demilitarization zone in southern Syrian, defending its northern border and allied Druze communities under assault by Syrian government forces.
In a rare and significant military intervention, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a series of airstrikes on Syrian regime forces in southern Syria overnight Sunday, July 14, in response to what Israeli officials called a breach of the agreed demilitarized zone near the Golan Heights. The IDF’s action comes amid escalating violence between the Druze population of Sweida and government-aligned militias.
The Israeli strikes targeted at least two Syrian army tanks and other vehicles that had moved into the administrative boundaries of Sweida, in what Defense Minister Israel Katz called “a flagrant violation of the demilitarization agreements.” The area in question lies within the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, brokered after the Yom Kippur War, which strictly limits the deployment of Syrian forces along the Israeli frontier.
“This was not just about preventing harm to the Druze,” Katz said. “This was about reasserting a critical red line. We will not permit the introduction of military forces into areas that are supposed to remain demilitarized. Syria knows this — and Iran knows it too.”
The IDF confirmed the airstrikes in an unusual public acknowledgment, releasing aerial surveillance footage of the targeted tanks and armored vehicles. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the dual purpose of the action in a joint statement with Katz: “Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria. We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them and to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria.”
The Israeli airstrikes followed several days of deadly clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin armed factions in Sweida, sparked by a criminal incident involving a Druze businessman. Syrian regime troops were deployed shortly thereafter — a move perceived by local Druze leaders as both provocative and coordinated with hostile militias.
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, issued an unprecedented call to arms. “They entered the administrative borders last night under the pretext of protection,” he said in a public address, “but they proceeded to bombard our people in the border villages and supported the takfiri gangs with their heavy weaponry. This is an occupation.”
Israel’s defense establishment had been monitoring the situation closely, particularly after videos emerged of Syrian tanks moving southward from Daraa into Druze villages, threatening to destabilize the region. A senior IDF officer speaking to Israel Hayom warned that “the deployment of Syrian armor and Hezbollah-linked forces in the demilitarized zone is unacceptable. If left unanswered, it sets a dangerous precedent.”
The Syrian Defense Ministry confirmed the airstrikes but attempted to downplay their significance, issuing a brief statement that Israeli “hostile aircraft” had struck “two military positions in the Sweida countryside.” Damascus later announced a unilateral ceasefire, saying its forces would respond only if attacked again.
But Jerusalem is treating the breach seriously. “This was not an isolated incident,” said Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. “We are seeing an ongoing campaign by the Assad regime — with Iranian backing — to gradually erode the demilitarization agreements. Our response was measured, precise, and absolutely necessary.”
The IDF’s rules of engagement on the Syrian front have historically sought to avoid direct confrontation with regime forces, instead focusing on Iranian arms transfers and Hezbollah outposts. Sunday night’s strikes mark a shift — both in tone and target.
According to Arab media reports and opposition activists, the Israeli strikes caused significant damage to Syrian 9th Division units in the area. No casualties were confirmed, though the symbolic nature of the operation was unmistakable.
“This is the first time in years that Israel has openly struck Assad’s forces not just to stop an attack, but to enforce the 1974 disengagement lines,” said Middle East analyst Ehud Yaari on Channel 12. “It’s a message to all sides — Assad, Iran, and even Russia — that the demilitarization zone is not up for negotiation.”
Israel’s alliance with the Druze is deep-rooted and complex. The 140,000-strong Druze community inside Israel serves in the IDF and holds senior positions in public life. Their cousins across the border in Sweida, however, have long maintained autonomy from both the Assad regime and Islamist factions.
The Druze of Sweida have consistently rejected Iranian influence, refused conscription into Assad’s army, and resisted Hezbollah infiltration. That independence has come at a high price. In recent years, the region has faced economic siege, targeted assassinations, and now, armed conflict.
“They are surrounded,” said Lt. Col. (res.) Miri Eisin, a former intelligence officer. “They are fighting to survive — not just physically, but as a distinct ethnic and religious community. Israel’s airstrikes are not just military operations; they are lifelines.”
International reaction to the strike was muted, though a U.S. State Department official privately told reporters in Jerusalem that “Israel has every right to enforce the terms of past agreements and to protect allied minority communities when they are threatened.”
While the situation in Sweida remains fragile, the Israeli message is clear: Any attempt by the Assad regime or its Iranian patrons to militarize the buffer zone will be met with force — not rhetoric.
As Netanyahu put it, “We are not bystanders to the rewriting of our borders by tanks and rockets. We stand by our allies, and we stand by our red lines.”
Yhvh God bless Israel for standing up for her long time loyal allies, the Druze, whose friendship goes back to the days of King David!