Israel’s attack on Syria: Protecting the Druze minority or a regional power play?
-
Here is the introductory paragraphs from the article. I did not extract any other sections in case I introduce any of my own biases, please see the article for the full discussion.
Author: Spyros A. Sofos | Assistant Professor in Global Humanities, Simon Fraser University
A new round of violence recently erupted in southern Syria, where clashes between local Druze militias and Sunni fighters have left hundreds dead.
In response, Israel launched airstrikes in and around the province of Sweida on July 15, saying it was acting to protect the Druze minority and to deter attacks by Syrian government forces.
The strikes mark Israel’s most serious escalation in Syria since December 2024, and they underline a growing trend in its foreign policy: the use of minority protection as a tool of regional influence and power projection.
-
Here is the introductory paragraphs from the article. I did not extract any other sections in case I introduce any of my own biases, please see the article for the full discussion.
Author: Spyros A. Sofos | Assistant Professor in Global Humanities, Simon Fraser University
A new round of violence recently erupted in southern Syria, where clashes between local Druze militias and Sunni fighters have left hundreds dead.
In response, Israel launched airstrikes in and around the province of Sweida on July 15, saying it was acting to protect the Druze minority and to deter attacks by Syrian government forces.
The strikes mark Israel’s most serious escalation in Syria since December 2024, and they underline a growing trend in its foreign policy: the use of minority protection as a tool of regional influence and power projection.
How is this even a question?
They're actively murdering Palestinians - of course they don't give a shit about anyone else's minorities.
Their one and only goal is conquest. Regarding Syria specifically, their first goal was to cement their illegal occupation of the Golan Heights, and that morphed into their second goal - to expand further into Syria. Since the fall of Assad (literally beginning less than 48 hours after his government fell), Israel has moved an additional 12 km into Syrian territory and built military bases and roads and laid minefields to protect their newly acquired territory.
This stuff about the Druze, just like everything else that comes out of the Israeli propaganda machine, is just there to provide their apologists with something to spin - something with which to divert attention, just a bit longer, from the simple truth that Israel is a profoundly destructive rogue state.
-
How is this even a question?
They're actively murdering Palestinians - of course they don't give a shit about anyone else's minorities.
Their one and only goal is conquest. Regarding Syria specifically, their first goal was to cement their illegal occupation of the Golan Heights, and that morphed into their second goal - to expand further into Syria. Since the fall of Assad (literally beginning less than 48 hours after his government fell), Israel has moved an additional 12 km into Syrian territory and built military bases and roads and laid minefields to protect their newly acquired territory.
This stuff about the Druze, just like everything else that comes out of the Israeli propaganda machine, is just there to provide their apologists with something to spin - something with which to divert attention, just a bit longer, from the simple truth that Israel is a profoundly destructive rogue state.
Druzes face discrimination in israel
