Israel has accused Syria of failing to protect the Druze as Israeli forces occupy and attack parts of the country.
Overnight Israeli air raids on Syria have killed at least two civilians as Israel has stated it is carrying out attacks to protect the Druze minority from government violence, a stance the Syrian Druze community itself rejects.
At least eight people were also reported injured after some 15 air raids hit multiple areas in Syria after midnight Saturday, with at least eight attacks hitting its capital Damascus.
The Israeli military confirmed the attacks on Saturday, saying its forces “struck a military site, anti-aircraft cannons and surface-to-air missile infrastructure in Syria” without giving further details or any evidence.
It comes a day after Israel carried out an attack near Syria’s presidential palace and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not allow Syrian forces to deploy south of Damascus nor tolerate “any threat to the Druze community”.
More than 100 people were killed this week during fighting between pro-government forces and Druze fighters in Syria.
Reporting from the Damascus suburb of Jaramana where clashes took place between pro-government forces and Druze fighters, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said there was an uneasy calm on Saturday.
“A lot of people were in absolute fear. The fighters came in from multiple directions during the clashes on Tuesday, but they were beaten back by the security forces and then Jaramana was put under curfew for at least two days.”
He said during that time, a Druze delegation came in to reassure people that security would return.
Syrian government forces in Damascus and the Druze stronghold of Suwayda province in the southern part of the country reached agreements with Druze leaders to increase security and take in some heavy weapons held by fighters.
“A local force from the Ministry of Defence will now be responsible for security as part of the deal here and in Suwayda,” said Khan.
“But the armed fighters are said to be rogue elements of the fighting forces who were fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime that fell. That’s a real concern, because it feels to many Syrian people like elements are trying to destabilise the country by stoking sectarian tensions.”
He added that the Israeli claim of wanting to protect the Druze has been met with a lot of scepticism from the Druze community.
“They say they can deal with this issue in-house and don’t need Israel to step up. They also point to the way the Druze are regularly mistreated in Israel and how they have had their homes and communities destroyed to make way for illegal Israeli settlements. The feeling here is that the Israeli prime minister is using this to put pressure on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and attack targets in Syria.”
On Saturday, the United Nation’s Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said he “strongly condemns Israel’s continued and escalating violations of Syria’s sovereignty, including multiple air strikes in Damascus and other cities”.
The Israeli military, which continues to occupy parts of Syria, including the Golan Heights, has continued to launch attacks across the country despite international condemnation.
“Despite the challenges, the foreign threats and the Israeli planes, we are present and nothing can prevent us from protecting our people or prevent us from carrying out our duty towards our people,” Ammar al-Hariri, a commander with the Syrian security forces, said from the town of al-Soura al-Kubra in Suwayda.
Salman Olaiwi, a resident of the town, said people felt “relieved” when they heard about the agreement between the government and Druze leaders.
“What good have Israeli threats done us? The Israelis are on their own. As for us, those close to us are better than those far away.”
