(JTA) — The interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shaara, accused Israel of attempting to sow “chaos and destruction” following the Israeli army’s intervention in his country’s sectarian violence.
Much remains murky about the situation that has flared this week in the Sweida province of Syria. But it is clear that one result may be a retreat from the warming of relations between Israel and Syria that leaders of both countries were recently indicating could be on the way.
The conflict has centered on Sweida, a province near the Israeli border that is home to large numbers of the Druze religious minority. The Syrian army entered the region in recent days, ostensibly to quell violence between the Druze and Bedouin tribes there that has likely caused hundreds of Druze to be killed or injured.
The move triggered panic among the local Druze, who are skeptical about the commitment of Shaara, a former Islamist leader, to religious minorities. It also ignited a response from Israel, which has vowed to protect the Druze and also has an interest in preventing Shaara from amassing his forces close to the Israeli border.
On Wednesday, July 16, the Israeli army bombed Shaara’s positions in Damascus for the second time in months, following a May strike Israel said was intended to signal its commitment to protecting the Druze. (The bombing caused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial to be suspended on Wednesday.)
Also on Wednesday, hundreds of Israeli Druze crossed the border into Syria to see members of their families from whom they had been separated since 1967. Netanyahu exhorted the Israeli Druze to remain inside Israel while the Israeli army operated inside Syria on their behalf.
“I have a single request of you: you are Israeli citizens. Do not cross the border. You are risking your lives; you could be murdered, you could be taken hostage, and you are impeding the efforts of the IDF,” Netanyahu said in a statement late Wednesday. “Therefore I ask of you: return to your homes and let the IDF take action.”
Shaara blamed Israel for the violence, saying in an address on Thursday, “The Israeli entity resorted to a wide-scale targeting of civilian and government facilities.” He said the situation was easing with the intervention of U.S., Arab and Turkish mediators.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said on Wednesday that he believed Israel’s bombing of Damascus was the result of “likely a misunderstanding” and that he hoped the bloodshed would soon cease.
There were signs on Thursday that Syrian forces were exiting Sweida, while Israeli Druze were amassing again at the border with the hopes of reaching their families in Syria.
