[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  Amit Segal [@AmitSegal](/creator/twitter/AmitSegal) on x 39.5K followers Created: 2025-07-16 12:51:52 UTC 🧵Some background on why Israel is bombing Syria, where the Druze fit into the story, and what it means for Israel-Syria normalisation. —— The likelihood of Israel normalizing relations with Syria has taken a hit following the murder of Syrian Druze by Ahmed al-Shara’s forces—on top of the religious humiliation you can see in the below images. As of writing, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the fighting has left over XXX people dead, XX of whom are Druze—and XX of whom were Druze civilians “killed in summary executions by government forces.” Of course, striking any kind of deal with a Syria ruled by al-Shara—not quite a Harvard-trained diplomat—was always bound to provoke discomfort amongst some Israelis. But with his forces now butchering Druze civilians, it raises some serious concerns. First, and perhaps most jarring, is this: How can the Jewish state, in good conscience, normalize relations with a jihadist whose forces are gleefully murdering civilians? But even for those who point out that the Middle East is not the Upper West Side, and that you don’t always have the luxury of choosing your friends here, the violence in Syria raises a more practical question: Can al-Shara be trusted? After all, the deal on the table is a non-aggression pact that will likely demand an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory it recently captured. But for the Israeli public to go along with that, it needs to believe that Syria’s new regime won’t exploit the withdrawal to attack the Jewish state—a feeling that’s hardly been encouraged by recent events. Of course, there’s another angle to this. Despite holding the title of President, Ahmed al-Shara is hardly running a united, properly governed country. And as some have suggested, the current violence may well be less a product of al-Shara ordering a massacre, and rather the result of a total lack of control in Syria—which enables militias to act as they wish, even if they ostensibly report to their new president. And that introduces a whole new terrifying prospect to Israelis: That the man Jerusalem wants to sign a non-aggression pact with can’t even control his own soldiers. Of course, Netanyahu’s government is far from naive. Following yesterday’s strikes on Syrian regime forces, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned al-Shara this morning, in no uncertain terms, that “the Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and withdraw its forces,” adding that “Israel will not abandon the Druze in Syria and will enforce the disarmament policy we have decided upon. The IDF will continue to attack regime forces until their withdrawal from the area—and will soon raise the level of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.” And Israel seems to be keeping its word. The IDF recently bombed the Syrian military’s general staff building in Damascus. But wait, there’s more to this story. Yesterday, dozens of young Israeli Druze men crossed the border into Syria, and according to one video published by the Walla news site, they appeared to do so as IDF soldiers stood by and watched. Nearly XXXXX Israeli Druze are currently believed to be in Syria. 1/2  XXXXXX engagements  **Related Topics** [murder](/topic/murder) [druze](/topic/druze) [syria](/topic/syria) [israel](/topic/israel) [amit](/topic/amit) [Post Link](https://x.com/AmitSegal/status/1945466414934167601)
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Amit Segal @AmitSegal on x 39.5K followers
Created: 2025-07-16 12:51:52 UTC
🧵Some background on why Israel is bombing Syria, where the Druze fit into the story, and what it means for Israel-Syria normalisation.
——
The likelihood of Israel normalizing relations with Syria has taken a hit following the murder of Syrian Druze by Ahmed al-Shara’s forces—on top of the religious humiliation you can see in the below images.
As of writing, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the fighting has left over XXX people dead, XX of whom are Druze—and XX of whom were Druze civilians “killed in summary executions by government forces.”
Of course, striking any kind of deal with a Syria ruled by al-Shara—not quite a Harvard-trained diplomat—was always bound to provoke discomfort amongst some Israelis. But with his forces now butchering Druze civilians, it raises some serious concerns.
First, and perhaps most jarring, is this: How can the Jewish state, in good conscience, normalize relations with a jihadist whose forces are gleefully murdering civilians?
But even for those who point out that the Middle East is not the Upper West Side, and that you don’t always have the luxury of choosing your friends here, the violence in Syria raises a more practical question: Can al-Shara be trusted?
After all, the deal on the table is a non-aggression pact that will likely demand an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory it recently captured. But for the Israeli public to go along with that, it needs to believe that Syria’s new regime won’t exploit the withdrawal to attack the Jewish state—a feeling that’s hardly been encouraged by recent events.
Of course, there’s another angle to this. Despite holding the title of President, Ahmed al-Shara is hardly running a united, properly governed country. And as some have suggested, the current violence may well be less a product of al-Shara ordering a massacre, and rather the result of a total lack of control in Syria—which enables militias to act as they wish, even if they ostensibly report to their new president.
And that introduces a whole new terrifying prospect to Israelis: That the man Jerusalem wants to sign a non-aggression pact with can’t even control his own soldiers.
Of course, Netanyahu’s government is far from naive. Following yesterday’s strikes on Syrian regime forces, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned al-Shara this morning, in no uncertain terms, that “the Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and withdraw its forces,” adding that “Israel will not abandon the Druze in Syria and will enforce the disarmament policy we have decided upon. The IDF will continue to attack regime forces until their withdrawal from the area—and will soon raise the level of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.”
And Israel seems to be keeping its word. The IDF recently bombed the Syrian military’s general staff building in Damascus.
But wait, there’s more to this story. Yesterday, dozens of young Israeli Druze men crossed the border into Syria, and according to one video published by the Walla news site, they appeared to do so as IDF soldiers stood by and watched.
Nearly XXXXX Israeli Druze are currently believed to be in Syria.
1/2
XXXXXX engagements
