Israel Airdrops Weapons to Syrian Druze After Assad Ouster
Here’s a breakdown of the key details from the provided text, focusing on the Israeli involvement with Syrian Druze groups:
Core Story: Israel has been attempting to cultivate a proxy force within the Syrian druze community, but internal conflicts and shifting allegiances have hampered those efforts.
Key Players & Groups:
* Tareq Shoufi: A former Syrian colonel under Assad, initially chosen by Israel to lead the “Military Council” in Sweida.
* Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri: A Syrian Druze spiritual leader who initially supported Shoufi’s Council, but later sought to become the sole military leader and formed the “National Guard.”
* Suleiman al-Hijri: Sheikh Hikmat’s son, involved in establishing the National Guard.
* Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF): A Kurdish militia with ties to Israel. They acted as a conduit for funds from Israel to Shoufi and provided training to Druze fighters. They have also clashed with forces loyal to hijri.
* Military Council: The initial Israeli-backed group led by Shoufi.
* national Guard: The new militia established by Hijri, which eventually became the focus of Israeli support.
* Israeli Officials (Unnamed): Involved in the planning and funding of these groups.
Israeli Involvement:
* funding: Israel transferred $24,000 to Shoufi via the SDF, and the SDF subsequently provided $500,000. Israel also began sending weapons to the National Guard.
* Training: The SDF trained Syrian Druze fighters, including women, in northern Syria.
* Intelligence: The SDF provided battlefield imagery captured by Israeli satellites to Druze leaders.
* Selection & Rank: Israeli officials actively selected individuals with military experience and assigned them ranks within the Military Council.
* Goal: To create a proxy force within the Syrian Druze community.
Internal Conflicts & Shifts:
* Hijri’s power grab led to infighting within the Druze community.
* Shoufi was forced into hiding due to threats from Hijri’s loyalists.
* Israel shifted its support from the Military Council to the National Guard, exacerbating the conflict.
Outcome:
* Israeli hopes for a reliable proxy force among the Syrian Druze have been diminished.
* A former Israeli official acknowledges that Israel “has no one to work with on the other side – certainly not in any long-term capacity.”
Date context: The article references events occurring in 2025, and includes a photo dated October 7, 2025, showing clashes in Aleppo between Syrian government troops and the SDF. This suggests the information is from late 2025.