Israel Has Put the Kurdish and Druze Card on the Table in Syria

The United States ultimately wants to withdraw from Syria, where it sees no financial gain, and focus its energy on relations with Ukraine, Europe, Russia, and China. However, through its lobbies in the U.S., Israel appears to have convinced the Pentagon that a U.S. withdrawal would increase Türkiye’s influence and jeopardize Israel’s security. For this reason, Israel is now playing the Druze, Kurdish, and Alawite cards to stir unrest within Syria and trigger security concerns.

On February 27, Abdullah Öcalan, the founding leader of the PKK, made a call to dissolve the organization and lay down arms—an action with regional implications.

Just a few days after Türkiye’s move, which would affect the balance of power in Iraq, Iran, and Syria, Israel made a counter-move, signaling that it had taken the Kurds, Alawites, andDruze under its protection.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that if theDamascus administration intervened against the Druze—a small group in Syria that has refused to surrender its weapons and continues to clash with the government—Israel would launch an attack on Damascus.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not stop there; he went further, openly threatening theDamascus administration, warning it against adopting a hostile stance toward the Kurds, Druze, and Alawites.

Backing these statements with military action, the Israeli army struck nearly 100 targets inside Syria within two days.

Israel Intends to Destabilize Syria

Israel was likely displeased by the fact that Ahmad al-Shara’s government, which came to power through the Syrian revolution, was recognized and supported by all regional countries except Iran. However, what disturbed Israel even more was Türkiye’s unprecedented rise in influence across Syria and the broader region, as well as the forced disarmament of the PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK, which Israel considers one of its most important allies.

Although the PYD appears to be armed and protected by the United States, it actually maintains a strong engagement with Israel. Ilham Ahmed, the head of foreign relations for theSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF), another PKK-linked entity in Syria, has previously stated that Israel must play a role in the solution for Syria’s and the Middle East’s security.

Israel seeks to prevent Syria from achieving stability and strengthening by leveraging theDruze in the south, the Alawites along the Mediterranean coast, and the Kurds in the north. Another key objective is to curb Türkiye’s growing influence. In fact, U.S. and Israeli think tanks and analysts have repeatedly written that Türkiye’s increasing power threatens Israel’s strategic interests.

Moves to Prevent Türkiye’s Influence

The Syrian revolution rapidly disrupted regional balances. Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE all aligned themselves with the Damascus administration, supporting it as a unified bloc. The fact that Israel and the U.S. pressuredEgypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to accept Palestinians who were to be expelled from Gaza only reinforced this alliance.

However, with the opposition that Türkiye had supported for 13 years coming to power, Türkiye suddenly gained significant mobility and influence in territories stretching up toIsrael’s borders. Israel became even more alarmed when the Lebanese Prime Minister visitedTürkiye and announced the beginning of a new relationship.

Adding to this, Türkiye’s influence in the region grew further when the PKK declared that it would lay down its arms and dissolve itself. It is worth noting that Iraq, one of the countries most pleased by this development, is also a place where Israeli influence is considerable.

To counter this growing containment, Israel has launched a destabilization campaign in Syria, the area where it holds the greatest influence.

Israel believes it can achieve this by acting as the protector of Syria’s three main minority groups. On March 2, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated, “The Damascus administration is not a government elected by the Syrian people. It is a group of jihadists who previously controlled Idlib and have seized other areas, including Damascus, by force… It has no right to harbor hostility against minorities such as Druze, Kurds, or Alawites.”

On March 1, the Israeli Ministry of Defense issued a statement declaring that “Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered preparations to defend the Druze settlement of Caramana, located in the suburbs of Damascus, which is under attack by Syrian regime forces.”

Will the Druze Side with Israel?

Two experts I spoke to regarding Syria are certain that Israel’s attempt to use the Druze card is nothing more than a bluff with no real impact on the ground.

Levent Kemal, Editor-in-Chief of Clash Report, which has covered the Syrian revolution in great detail, stated: “Some Druze individuals have relatives in Israel, serving as soldiers or working as laborers. However, they are somewhat disconnected from the larger Druze communities in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Political and religious Druze leaders, especially Walid Jumblatt, have declared that they will align with the Damascus administration. It is nearly impossible for them to engage with Israel or to enter into conflict with Damascus.”

Dr. Mustafa Ekici, an expert on the Syrian opposition and its ethnic dynamics, also emphasizes that Israel’s Druze card has no real validity on the ground.

“None of the five or six major Druze families support establishing relations with Israel. A small family in the Golan region has close ties with Israel, and perhaps five or six village shave accepted Israeli citizenship. Apart from these, it is impossible for the Druze—who are ethnically Arab—to develop close relations with Israel, form an alliance, or take up arms against Damascus. This is nothing more than a psychological maneuver by Israel.”

As tensions between the Druze, Israel, and Damascus escalated, the most influential Druzeleader, Walid Jumblatt, announced that he would travel to Damascus to meet with Shara. By the time you read this article, the meeting may have already taken place. Jumblatt is expected to reaffirm that Damascus is also the capital of the Druze, that they stand by the Syrian government, and that they will not move closer to Israel.

Will the Alawites and Kurds Align with Israel?

The two other major minorities in Syria that Israel seeks to use against Damascus are the Alawites and the Kurds.

Levent Kemal explains that even during the Assad regime, the Alawite minority suffered significant economic hardships and social struggles, which is why they did not resist theShara administration:

“For this reason, Israel’s attempt to mobilize the Alawites—especially to push them into conflict—is a plan with no practical feasibility in Syria. The exhausted Alawite minority is not easily drawn into a new war.”

Dr. Mustafa Ekici argues that while the YPG is the group Israel is most likely to exploit within Syria, it is impossible for Israel to push the broader Kurdish population into an all-out war against the Damascus government.

“In a Syria that has barely stabilized, where all factions support the Shara administration, if the YPG Kurds initiate a conflict, it would mean they are taking on the entire Arab population. There are already internal divisions within the YPG over whether to heedAbdullah Öcalan’s call. Despite this, engaging YPG militants in a war against both Türkiye and Damascus does not seem feasible. They know that in the event of a conflict, they would be crushed between the Arabs and the Turks. Additionally, it is technically impossible for Israel to enter this region and provide direct support to the YPG. Therefore, we will see that thisIsraeli move is also destined to fail.

Trump-Erdoğan Meeting to Untie the Knot

For Trump, who is currently busy pressuring Zelensky at the White House in an attempt to seize Ukraine’s underground riches, Syria is not an enticing prospect. The oil there is not even worth his attention.

The United States ultimately wants to withdraw from Syria, where it sees no financial gain, and redirect its energy toward Ukraine, Europe, Russia, and China. However, Israel appears to have convinced the Pentagon—through its lobbying efforts in Washington—that a U.S. withdrawal would increase Türkiye’s influence and threaten Israel’s security. For this reason, Israel is now playing the Druze, Kurdish, and Alawite cards to stir unrest within Syria and manipulate security concerns.

However, this will not be as easy as Israel anticipates, as the reality on the ground is clearly not in its favor. Türkiye seeks to convince Trump to integrate the YPG into the newDamascus administration, incorporating its fighters and weapons into the restructured Syrian army. It sees the possibility of military conflict as the last resort.

Since Türkiye cannot resolve this issue through negotiations with Israel, it will attempt to settle it by speaking directly with Trump. Lower-level officials within the administration also seem to have tied this issue to the upcoming Trump-Erdoğan meeting. In the coming days, one of two outcomes will emerge from the discussions between the leaders: Either Türkiye will launch a military operation against the YPG, or the YPG will be peacefully integrated in to the new Syrian administration.

If the YPG’s Kurdish leadership has any sense, they will not trust Israel, which has long fueled bloodshed in the Middle East. Instead, they will choose to build a new future in cooperation with Türkiye and the Damascus government.

Source: https://aja.ws/erdagk