Israel’s Druze leader praises Netanyahu’s intervention in Syria
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif credits Israeli strikes with halting the July 2025 killings of Syrian Druze, saying Netanyahu acted while the international community failed to intervene
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intervention to protect Syrian Druze, after the premier disclosed that he had spoken directly with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during last year’s sectarian bloodshed.
Tarif said he had urgently appealed to Netanyahu while the international community failed to act, crediting Israeli strikes on Syria’s Defense Ministry and jihadist forces advancing toward Druze communities with halting the killings. “This decision will be recorded in the history of the Druze community,” he said, describing scenes that recalled the October 7 massacre.
The violence erupted in July 2025 in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida in southern Syria. Fighting between Druze and Bedouin armed groups escalated after government forces intervened on the Bedouin side and were accused of executing Druze civilians and committing other abuses. Israel struck government targets in Damascus, saying it was acting to protect the minority.
Speaking at a Likud gathering with members of the Druze community in the northern Israeli town of Yarka on Thursday, Netanyahu publicly disclosed the call for the first time. “It was a very short, very sharp conversation, and the massacre stopped,” he said.
i24NEWS subsequently reported that the conversation took place on July 16, 2025, and that Netanyahu demanded Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida by 10 p.m., threatening intensified Israeli strikes. According to the report by Neve Dromi, al-Sharaa requested 48 hours to address the situation, but Netanyahu rejected the request.
The Syrian government responded by rejecting attempts to draw Syria into Israeli election campaigning and accusing Israel of destabilizing Sweida. Its statement did not confirm or deny that the conversation took place.
Tarif also praised Netanyahu for civilian and medical assistance to Druze communities in Syria and measures to protect Druze villages in southern Lebanon. “The partnership between the Druze community and the Jewish people and the State of Israel transcends borders and political camps,” he said. “It is a firm and stable alliance.”