Overview

• Druze residents near Damascus refuse to surrender arms, citing fears of attacks by Sunni militants and lack of state security guarantees.
• Sectarian clashes erupted after a fabricated audio recording insulted the Prophet Mohammad, leading to violence in Jaramana, Sahnaya, and Sweida.
• Israel has conducted airstrikes on militant and Syrian government positions, evacuated injured Druze to Israeli hospitals, and airdropped supplies to Druze areas.
• Israeli Druze protests have pressured Prime Minister Netanyahu to act, resulting in public commitments to safeguard Syrian Druze communities.
• Negotiations between Druze representatives and Syria's Islamist-led interim government continue, but deep mistrust impedes resolution.