After the fall of the Assad regime, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights [Getty]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered military forces to prepare to “defend” the minority Druze community in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, following reports of unrest and armed clashes in the city on Saturday night.
According to the Knesset, Israel “will not allow the extremist Islamic regime in Syria to harm the Druze” and threatened direct strikes against Syrian government forces.
Jaramana, located approximately 60 kilometres (37.2 miles) from the Israeli border, is often labelled in Israeli discourse as a “Druze village”.
But the densely populated suburb of Damascus is also home to large populations of Iraqi Christians and Palestinian refugees, many of whom fled forced displacement caused by Israeli violent military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Israeli statements come despite the director of the Damascus countryside Security Directorate, lieutenant colonel Hussam al-Tahhan saying on Saturday that the security operation in the area is limited, further calling on people to refrain from threatening stability and unity in the country, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
The Druze used as ‘pawns’
Syrians in the area have slammed the move, accusing Israel of using the Druze community as “pawns” to advance its military operations in the region.
Rabih Munzer, a local activist from Jaramana’s civil committee told Al Jazeera: “We are Syrian Arabs, rooted in our land, and we did not ask anyone for protection. We refuse to be used as pawns, and the Syrian administration will respond to Netanyahu’s statements.”
Others also condemned Netanyahu’s claims of Jaramana being exclusively home to the Druze community.
“This is absurd,” Syrian doctor and activist Karim Aljian posted online. “Nobody in Syria considers Jaramana a Druze village. It’s not even a village – it’s a suburb. The majority of residents are Iraqi Christians and Palestinians who escaped Israel’s own violence.”
The Druze, who also live in Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, make up about three percent of Syria’s population.
Some reports state that Israel’s threats coincide with its efforts to expand its influence and exploit the situation and try to occupy areas in the country, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that since the start of this year, Israel has targeted Syrian territory at least 16 times, 14 of which were airstrikes.
Increased military deployments
On Saturday, Syrian security sources reported that Jaramana has seen increased military deployments and checkpoints at its entrances and exits, following the killing of two internal security officers by unidentified gunmen.
Armed groups have been seen patrolling streets and occupying rooftops, prompting Syrian authorities to issue a five-day ultimatum for militants to surrender their weapons and dismantle barricades.
Negotiations are reportedly underway between community leaders and Syrian intelligence officials, aiming to restore calm and integrate local security arrangements without further escalation.
Since opposition rebels in December overthrew long-time repressive ruler Bashar al-Assad, clashes and shootings have occurred in several areas, with security officials accusing armed supporters of the previous government.
Israel has expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing parts of the demilitarised buffer zone. This move violates the 1974 disengagement agreement and has been widely condemned by the UN and several Arab states.
Simultaneously, Israel has ramped up airstrikes across Syrian territory, frequently targeting military infrastructure under the pretext of countering Iranian influence.
