Syria’s Druze minority is still under attack by jihadists, and Israel has been providing aid and arms to the small community. Ynet reports that this aid for protection includes weapons, ammunition, and bulletproof vests seized from the terror groups Hezbollah and Hamas. Israeli officials reiterated that they are committed to the minorities’ security in the face of the new Ahmad al-Sharaa regime.
Weapons supplied to the Druze by Israel included arms previously seized by fighters from Hezbollah and Hamas. A Druze commander told the Post that they also received sniper rifles, night vision equipment and machine gun ammunition. The Kurds provided anti-tank missiles and satellite imagery supplied by Israel.
Israel’s support to the Druze went beyond weapons. In the buffer zone, home to about 20 Druze villages, IDF soldiers reportedly helped deliver fuel, food, limited water supplies and medical care at a military clinic outside the village of Khader. According to Brig. Gen. (res.) Hassoun Hassoun, a Druze-Israeli officer and former military secretary to the president, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit also participated in delivering both humanitarian and military aid, including light arms.
Israel’s aid also includes monthly stipends to 3,000 Druze fighters as an effort to undermine al-Sharaa’s efforts to consolidate power throughout the country. One Israeli official said that it is a moral obligation to protect the religious minority. This is an obligation we share at The Fellowship with our support and work for the Druze and Christian communities in Syria.
