That Was Quick: Syrian Regime Backs Off Druze After IDF Hits Damascus

Ahmed al-Sharaa may be new at statecraft, but he’s apparently a quick learner. The new Syrian head of state quickly acted to de-escalate a brewing conflict with Israel — as soon as the IDF made it clear that they meant business in protecting the Druze minority on their border.

Over the past couple of days, Islamist radicals within Sharaa’s coalition declared their intent to eradicate the religious minority in Sweida (also rendered Suweyda or Suwayda in some sources). Government-linked forces entered the city on the pretext of enforcing a cease-fire in skirmishes between the Druze and Bedouin tribes, but that quickly turned into an all-out attack on the Druze community, with 250 casualties claimed so far. 

Earlier today, the Israelis made their displeasure clear in Damascus, in part to keep hundreds of Israeli Druze from crossing into Sweida to relieve their allies:

INSANE VIDEO:

The moment Israel attacks the Ministry of Defense and General Staff Headquarters of Syriapic.twitter.com/p3VchauK8w

— Jeremy Kamali (@JeremyKamali) July 16, 2025

That prompted a rethink in Damascus, and an announcement of a cease-fire agreement:

Syrian government officials and leaders in the Druze religious minority announced Wednesday a renewed ceasefire after days of clashes that have threatened to unravel the country’s postwar political transition and have drawn intervention by Syria’s powerful neighbor, Israel.

It was not immediately clear if the new agreement – which was announced by Syrian state media and in a video message by a Druze religious leader – would hold. A previous ceasefire announced the day before quickly fell apart.

The announcement came after Israel launched a series of rare airstrikes in the heart of Damascus, part of a campaign that it said is intended to defend the Druze – who also form a substantial community in Israel – and to push Islamic militants away from its border.

Sharaa published a statement at roughly the same time that sounds a lot like a “mistakes were made” concession:

The office of Syria’s interim president said in a statement Wednesday that it “has followed with great concern the unfortunate violations that have recently occurred in some areas of Sweida Governorate.”

“These acts, which fall within the category of criminal and illegal behavior, are unacceptable under any circumstances and completely contradict the principles upon which the Syrian state is based,” the presidency added. “We, in the Syrian government, strongly condemn these shameful acts and affirm our full commitment to investigating all related incidents and holding accountable all those proven to be involved.”

That may be easier said than done. Sharaa’s continued control depends on his coalition of Syrian revolutionaries, a substantial portion of which comes from Islamist militias — including Sharaa himself. Now that he has succeeded in deposing Bashar al-Assad, however, Sharaa has to face certain realities, the primary reality being that Israel and the IDF are far more competent than Sharaa and his rag-tag militias. Now that he controls the country, Sharaa has lots of vulnerabilities in terms of fixed assets, of which the IDF reminded Sharaa today by hitting the heart of his new security ministry. If the radical Islamists want to pick fights, Sharaa has a lot to lose and may not be able to survive at the top of this coalition if he has to force them to back down. 

Another reason for Sharaa to take quick action: he wants to get into the Abraham Accords. Syria is very weak and really can’t afford a war, and they also need to curry favor with the West to stabilize their new government. Sharaa and his allies despise the Iranians, so they will want to align with the Sunni states in the region that are currently aligning with Israel. The negotiations for entering the Abraham Accords also afford Sharaa an opportunity for leverage in talks with Israel about border issues, particularly in the buffer regions that Israel rushed to occupy as the Assad regime collapsed. 

The Israelis want normalized relations with Syria too, for obvious strategic issues vis-à-vis Iran. However, they won’t cut a deal at the expense of having al-Qaeda/ISIS/Nusra Front setting up shop on its borders. Netanyahu made that crystal clear today, and Sharaa got the message. Besides, Netanyahu got forced to act to keep Druze fighters from surging into Syria and putting Israel into a position where they might face hostaging all over again:

“We are working to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime’s gangs,” he said in a statement posted to X on Wednesday.

Addressing those crossing the border or attempting to, Netanyahu added: “You are citizens of Israel. Do not cross the border. You are risking your lives; you could be murdered, you could be kidnapped, and you are harming the efforts of the IDF. Therefore, I ask you — return to your homes, let the IDF act.”

The US wants Syria in the Abraham Accords too, and didn’t exactly cheer on the IDF in today’s strikes. Axios reports that the White House attempted to get Netanyahu to back down before the cease-fire announcement:

The Trump administration has asked Israelx to halt its strikes on Syrian government targets and to open direct talks with Damascus, a senior U.S. official told Axios on Wednesday.

Why it matters: U.S. officials are highly concerned that the Israeli attacks — including on Syrian military headquarters in Damascus and near the presidential palace — could destabilize the new Syrian government.

• The official said the past 48 hours could seriously undermine progress toward a new security agreement between Israel and Syria as a first step toward normalization. Those discussions had previously been showing significant progress, the official said.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. was “very concerned” about the Israeli strikes in Syria and wants the fighting to stop.

That’s an understandable position, but the message got sent anyway. Rubio followed up with optimism that everyone learned a valuable lesson:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says fighting between Syrian Druze and Bedouin in the southwest of the country led to a “misunderstanding” between the Israeli and Syrian governments that resulted in widespread IDF bombings of regime targets.

Rubio tells reporters in the Oval Office, “We’re on our way towards a real de-escalation, and then hopefully getting back on track to helping Syria build a country and arriving at a situation there in the Middle East is far more stable.”

The lesson got taught, anyway. Did anyone learn from it?

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.

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