Government forces that intervened to restore order have also clashed with the Druze,while reports have surfaced of members of the security forces carrying out extra-judicial killings,looting and burning civilian homes.
The UK-based war monitor, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,said more than 250 people had been killed in Israeli strikes as of Wednesday morning,including four children,five women and 138 soldiers and security forces.
In Syria,the Druze have been divided over how to deal with the country’s new leaders,with some advocating for integrating into the new system.
Others,however,have remained suspicious of the authorities in Damascus and pushed for an autonomous Druze region.
Druze from Syria and Israel have been protesting on the Israeli-Syrian border (Picture: AP)
On Wednesday,Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli army ‘will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area – and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood’.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes are to ‘prevent the Syrian regime from harming the Druze religious minority’ and to disarm areas near Israel’s borders with Syria.
Meanwhile,Israeli cabinet member and minister of diaspora affairs Amichai Chikli called on X for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to be ‘eliminated’.
Earlier on Tuesday,religious leaders of the Druze community in Syria called for armed factions that have been clashing with government forces to surrender their weapons and co-operate with authorities.
One of the main Druze spiritual leaders later released a video statement retracting the call.
Some videos on social media showed armed fighters with Druze captives,beating them and,in some cases,forcibly shaving men’s moustaches.
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