No Israeli Retreat from Druze Canton Project in Occupied Golan Heights

Hayyan Darwish

“Israel” launched five airstrikes on Syrian government-aligned factions after armed groups, including foreign fighters, attacked the Druze-majority town of Jaramana and later Sahnaya. The strikes targeted central government-aligned factions advancing toward Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, a mixed-population town southwest of Damascus with strong Druze ties. This military move heightened sectarian tensions, while “Israel” positioned itself as a protector of minorities while fueling internal divisions, especially within the Druze community.

Occupation army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed the situation was “closely monitored,” and that forces were “ready for multiple scenarios.” Around 2 a.m., the first strike hit the upper floors of a building used by fighters approaching Sahnaya from the east. A joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Security” Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed the “warning operation,” targeting what they called “an extremist group preparing attacks on Druze residents.”

Israel will not end the war before dividing Syria

Three more strikes hit the southeastern perimeter of Sahnaya before General Security forces entered the area and began pursuing what it labeled “outlawed armed groups.” A fifth strike targeted a military site between Sahnaya and Darayya. Meanwhile, local factions—under Israeli air cover—used mortars and heavy machine guns to push back advancing Syrian forces from the west. Drones and warplanes from the occupation remained over Damascus into the evening.

Observers view these developments as part of a larger Israeli strategy to fragment Syria. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that “Israel will not end the war before dividing Syria, weakening Hezbollah, and blocking Iran’s nuclear ambitions.” This so-called protection of Druze communities is increasingly seen as a political tool to fuel sectarian fragmentation and turn partition into a popular demand.

The impact reached the occupied Golan Heights, where Druze youths and elders gathered near Tel al-Saraq, intending to cross into Syria and support the Druze in Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya. The Israeli army blocked them and dispatched Druze religious leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, who assured the crowd that “Israel’s support will not be limited,” and that it “stands fully behind the Druze.”

Tarif had previously urged Israeli intervention to prevent a “massacre in Jaramana,” telling officials that “Israel must not remain passive.” His role has grown as Israeli aircraft continued patrolling over Damascus in what many saw as part of an effort to redraw Syria’s map along sectarian lines.

As Israeli aircraft continued flying over Damascus, the spiritual leader of the Syrian Druze, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, also supported federalization, calling for autonomous rule in areas like Sweida, southern Syria. The violence in Jaramana and Sahnaya has expanded public support for this position, with many Druze now viewing the political and security situation as an existential threat.

These events triggered political and grassroots mobilization among Lebanese Druze. Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, former minister Wiam Wahhab, and the Druze spiritual leadership expressed concern. Widespread tension was reported across Mount Lebanon, Hasbaya, and Rashaya, where communities maintain strong familial ties with Syrian Druze.

Jumblatt held a press conference following a meeting hosted by the Druze religious authority, denouncing “insults to Prophet Muhammad” and warning of “Israel’s use of the crisis to push its partition agenda.” He called for rejecting Israeli “protection” and said he was ready to visit Damascus to relay the demands of Syrian Druze to the new Syrian government. Jumblatt reminded the public of his previous efforts in Idlib to prevent the displacement of Druze from Jabal al-Sama.

Though spiritual leader Sheikh Sami Abu al-Muna echoed Jumblatt’s message, Jumblatt and his allies struggled to promote their vision and stance, especially regarding relations with al-Sharaa, due to the Idlib experience of Druz which was marked by pressure to change religious practices, convert prayer sites into mosques, and settle foreign fighters in Druze villages.

Divisions within the Druze religious establishment surfaced during the March 16 celebration, which many clerics boycotted under the influence of Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, who positioned himself as the Druze representative to global powers and collaborates with “Israel” to impose a protection model for Syrian Druze. Recent events strengthened Tarif’s stand and weakened Jumblatt’s influence, especially following recent attacks.

Meanwhile, Wahhab contacted officials in the new Syrian government and the general security services in Idlib to help defuse tensions. He also attended a clerical gathering at the Abdullah shrine in Aabey, Mount Lebanon, while agitated youth blocked roads in Aley and along the Damascus highway in protest. The Lebanese Army deployed reinforcements to Hasbaya and Rashaya following reports of road closures and growing popular unrest to prevent further escalation.

Additional reporting by Al-Akhbar Syria desk.