Netanyahu says he called Sharaa last year, asking him to 'stop the massacre of Druzes'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday at a gathering with the Druze community of Yarka, in northern Israel, that he had spoken with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa last year, urging him to "stop the massacre of Druzes," according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Clashes in Sweida in July 2025 between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes — backed by government forces — killed more than a thousand people. Israel, which occupies parts of southern Syria, bombed Damascus during the fighting, claiming that it was defending the Druze community.

"The conversation was very short and very direct, and the massacre stopped," Netanyahu said. "I will do whatever is necessary to protect our Druze brothers. There is still work to be done. I can’t tell you everything," he added.

Israel hosts a Druze minority of 120,000 people whose men serve in its army, unlike other Palestinian citizens of Israel who are exempt from conscription, and has repeatedly claimed it would protect this community.

Netanyahu was the one who called Sharaa, according to the Israeli newspaper. He reportedly conveyed that if the massacres did not stop, Israel would intervene and act to protect the Druze community.