IDF strikes in Syria
(Video: IDF)
Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar personally oversaw the day’s operations from the Air Force command center in Tel Aviv. In total, the IDF carried out roughly 90 strikes across Syria, deploying more than 100 missiles and bombs from fighter jets and drones. Initial assessments suggest that the Syrian military’s main command center in Damascus was severely damaged, possibly destroyed.
The IDF also struck firing positions, weapons depots, and additional military regime targets in southern Syria. “The IDF continues to monitor developments and attacks in response to the assaults against Druze civilians in southern Syria. Operations are guided by directives from the political echelon, and the army remains prepared for various scenarios,” the IDF said in a statement.
Around 1,000 young Druze who crossed from Israel into Syria remain on the other side. Most of them are concentrated in the area of Hader. The IDF is working to block routes leading south toward the Suwayda region, in an effort to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control and to stop the group from reaching Jabal al-Druze. The military is also trying to persuade the group to return to Israel and is examining whether any of the individuals who crossed are active-duty soldiers.
Soldiers have been instructed not to use riot dispersal methods such as gas grenades or warning shots to avoid injuries or deaths that could inflame tensions further. Instead, they were ordered to use passive resistance, including forming human barriers. Despite a request for reinforcements, only three Border Police companies and a training unit from the Golani Brigade arrived in the area Wednesday morning—too late to stop the mass crossing.
After five days of violent clashes in the Druze stronghold of southern Syria—including reports of mass killings that prompted Israel’s forceful intervention—leaders of the Druze community in Suwayda announced a ceasefire agreement with regime forces Wednesday afternoon.
According to the agreement, announced by Druze sheikh Yusuf Jerboa, Suwayda will be "fully integrated" into the new Syrian regime established after Bashar al-Assad’s fall. However, forces loyal to President al-Sharaa—including former jihadist fighters now incorporated into the army—will withdraw from the area and return to their bases. Security checkpoints will reportedly be run by local Druze officers.
If implemented, the deal would see regime forces leave Suwayda, transferring local security control to the Druze community. It also includes provisions for "cooperation" on managing heavy weapons with Syria’s defense and interior ministries, “to ensure weapons remain in the hands of the state.” A commission will also be formed to investigate atrocities committed against the Druze community, including reported executions of civilians by regime forces and allied Bedouin tribes, public humiliations such as shaving the mustaches of Druze sheikhs, and widespread looting and burning of homes.
Control of Suwayda has become a central issue in Syria’s recent unrest. The province is home to the country’s largest Druze population—around 700,000 people—who fear persecution by the al-Sharaa regime. The regime has been accused of seeking to forcibly assimilate the Druze and suppress their way of life. Back in April, deadly clashes between Druze fighters and regime forces left over 100 dead. In May, a temporary ceasefire gave Druze militias control over security in the region—control that now hangs in the balance.
