President Isaac Herzog meets with Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, following the “horrific massacre and vile attacks” against the Druze in the Sweida province of Syria in recent days.
“The Druze community is an inseparable part of Israeli society,” Herzog writes in a post on X about the meeting, saying the two “discussed the horrific massacre and the vile attacks against the Druze” in Syria, and that Israel “must stand by them and protect… their loved ones.”
“I call on all to do everything possible to prevent further escalation,” the president adds.
The meeting follows a fragile ceasefire that took hold on Saturday, after a week of fighting between the Druze and Bedouin that spiraled to draw in the Islamist-led government, the IDF, and armed tribes from other parts of Syria, resulting in over 1,100 fatalities.
Israel delivered humanitarian aid and medical equipment to the Druze-majority region on Sunday.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
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