Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Wednesday for the creation of a humanitarian corridor to deliver food and medicine to the Druze population in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda.
In a post on X, Smotrich said he visited an operations center set up in the Druze village of Julis by Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, and Yasser Gadban, chairman of the Druze and Circassian Local Councils Forum, “to maintain contact and monitor the situation of their Druze brothers” in Suwayda.
Describing the situation in Suwayda as “very severe,” Smotrich claimed that a current ceasefire in the area is merely a deceptive calm aimed at encircling Druze populations, destroying some villages in the region and causing a humanitarian crisis.
He also accused the Syrian government of carrying out massacres against Druze civilians, criticizing Western countries for what he described as their “hypocrisy” — focusing solely on Gaza while ignoring what is happening in southern Syria.
He said protecting the Druze in Syria is both a moral and humanitarian obligation for Israel.
“We must demand and obtain an immediate humanitarian corridor that will allow the delivery of food, medicine and essential equipment to the besieged Druze and prepare militarily to defend the Druze, exact a heavy price from the Syrian regime, and create a strong deterrent to prevent a repeat attack.”
Despite his appeal, Israel does not share a land border with Suwayda.
On July 13, clashes broke out between Bedouin Arab tribes and armed Druze groups in Suwayda. Violence escalated and Israeli airstrikes followed, targeting Syrian military positions and infrastructure, including in Damascus.
While Israel cited the “protection of Druze communities” as a pretext for its attacks, most Druze leaders in Syria have publicly rejected any foreign interference and reaffirmed their commitment to a unified Syrian state. A ceasefire was announced earlier this month.
The new Syrian government has been working to reestablish order nationwide since the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024.
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