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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World
Simon Speakman Cordall

Not just about the Druze: Israel’s rationale for its attacks on Syria

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency, SANA, smoke rises from an Israeli air strike that hit the Syrian Defence Ministry, in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 [SANA via AP Photo]

On Wednesday afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video message to his country’s Druze minority. He implored them not to cross into southwestern Syria to support Syrian Druze militiamen in their fight against local Bedouin and government forces in Suwayda.

And yet, as Netanyahu made the statement, his own forces were bombing the Syrian capital Damascus, hitting the country’s Ministry of Defence, and killing at least three people.

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