Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the success of his “peace through strength” stance against Damascus as a U.S.-led peace plan quells violence in southwest Syria.
Netanyahu made no apologies for his military’s actions against the Syrian government, a campaign that included bombing the Presidential Palace and the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday. He cited national security concerns and the need to protect Druze civilians clashing with state forces.
“We’ve set a clear policy: demilitarization of the area south of Damascus — from the Golan Heights to the Jabal al-Druze region. That’s one red line. The second is protecting our brothers’ brothers, the Druze in Jabal al-Druze,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Thursday.
He continued, “Both of these red lines were violated by the regime in Damascus. It sent military forces south of Damascus into the area that is supposed to be demilitarized, and it began massacring Druze. This was absolutely unacceptable to us.”
The United States helped negotiate a ceasefire plan late Wednesday that seems to be holding as Israeli strikes taper off and Syrian government forces leave the Sweida province in the care of Druze spiritual leaders.
While the violence has decreased, the rhetoric from Israel remains far from peaceful, as Netanyahu champions his “peace through strength” policy as the default response to any provocation.
“This was a ceasefire achieved through strength — not through pleading, not through begging — through strength. We achieve peace through strength, calm through strength, security through strength — on seven fronts,” Netanyahu said in his speech. “This will remain our policy: we will not allow military forces to move south of Damascus, and we will not allow harm to come to the Druze in Jabal al-Druze.”
Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa promised to protect his nation’s Druze community as government military personnel pull out of the province at the heart of recent international conflict.
The president, a former member of al Qaida who has pivoted to championing secular democracy, made overtures to the Druze as a “fundamental part of the fabric of [Syria]” and promised to bring justice to parties responsible for attacking the minority faith community.
“We are eager on holding accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people because they are under the protection and responsibility of the state,” al Sharaa said in a televised speech on Wednesday night. “We affirm that protecting your rights and freedoms is among our top priorities.”
The president’s tone was far less diplomatic toward Israel, which has been launching targeted strikes against the Syrian government for days.
The Israeli government has justified the bombings as necessary to maintain the demilitarized status of southern Syria and protect the Druze communities under attack.
In his speech, al Sharaa accused Israel of attempting to “sow division” in the nation, which has struggled to find its feet since the violent overthrow of former President Bashar Assad.
“The Israeli entity, which has consistently targeted our stability and sowed discord since the fall of the former regime, now seeks once again to turn our sacred land into a theatre of endless chaos,” al Sharaa said.
He added, “We are not among those who fear the war. We have spent our lives facing challenges and defending our people, but we have put the interests of the Syrians before chaos and destruction.”
The conflict was allegedly sparked when a Druze civilian in the Sweida province was stopped, attacked, and robbed by a member of the Bedouin community, with which the Druze have a long-standing ethnic feud.
UNDERSTANDING THE ENIGMATIC DRUZE COMMUNITY AT THE HEART OF SYRIAN UNREST
Druze, which frequently boast large stockpiles of weapons and organized militia for self-defense from rival groups, responded with attacks against the Bedouins.
Some Druze hope to eventually establish a sovereign state for the approximately 1 million believers currently scattered across Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and elsewhere in the region.