Abderaouf Arnaout, Ikram Kouachi
14 March 2025•Update: 14 March 2025
JERUSALEM
A delegation of around 100 Syrian Druze members arrived in Israel for a two-day visit, marking the first such trip in more than five decades, Israeli public broadcaster, KAN, reported Friday.
The report said the visit was coordinated with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel. The delegation is expected to visit religious sites in the occupied Golan Heights and northern Israel.
It marks the second visit of its kind since the establishment of Israel in 1948, and the first since 1973. KAN did not disclose the identities of participants.
The delegation is set to meet Tarif and other prominent Druze figures in Israel. They will also visit sites including the tomb of Prophet Jethro and the Druze village of Peki'in.
It remains unclear if the delegation will hold meetings with the Israeli government or military officials.
There has been no official response from Syrian authorities or Druze leaders in Syria regarding the visit.
The visit comes amid heightened tensions following recent Israeli claims that Israeli fighter jets have been deployed in Syria to "protect Syrian Druze.”
The assertions have sparked protests among Syrian Druze communities, who have publicly rejected any Israeli intervention in Syria’s internal affairs. Demonstrators have also reiterated demands for Israel’s full withdrawal from occupied Syrian territories.
Since the overthrow of former President Bashar Assad in December, Israel has escalated its military offensives in Syria.
The new Syrian administration, led by transitional leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, has consistently called for an end to Israeli airstrikes and a complete withdrawal of its forces from Syrian land.
Israel has occupied the majority of the Golan Heights since 1967. In the wake of Syria’s political transition, it has expanded its territorial control, including into demilitarized zones, and has conducted hundreds of airstrikes targeting Syrian military assets.
