Druze Leader Praises Netanyahu's Intervention in Syria

Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, has lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intervention in Syria to protect the Druze population. Tarif revealed that he had urgently appealed to Netanyahu amid international inaction when sectarian violence erupted in Syria's Suweida province in July 2025. He stated that Israeli airstrikes targeting Syrian defense ministry sites and jihadist forces advancing on Druze towns halted the killings, a decision he believes will be historically significant for the Druze community. The violence in Suweida, a predominantly Druze region in southern Syria, escalated between Druze and Bedouin armed factions, with Syrian government forces accused of executing Druze civilians. Netanyahu, speaking at a Likud gathering in the Israeli town of Yarka on Thursday, disclosed details of a direct, "very short and very sharp" call he made to Syrian President Ahmad al-Shar'a during the crisis, stating that the "massacre stopped" immediately after. i24NEWS later reported the call occurred on July 16, 2025, with Netanyahu demanding Syrian forces withdraw from Suweida by 10 PM, threatening intensified Israeli strikes. Al-Shar'a reportedly requested a 48-hour delay, which Netanyahu refused. The Syrian government denied being drawn into Israeli election campaigns and accused Israel of destabilizing Suweida, without confirming or denying the call. Tarif also commended Netanyahu for providing civilian and medical aid to Syrian Druze communities and for measures protecting Druze villages in southern Lebanon, emphasizing a strong and stable alliance between the Druze and Jewish people and Israel that transcends political divides.