Woman lightly hurt by celebratory gunfire as Syrian Druze visit nearby tomb in Israel
Incident condemned by Druze leadership: ‘Whoever shoots is not one of us’; local residents say police stood by and didn’t take action
A woman was lightly injured by celebratory gunfire on Friday night as dozens of Syrian Druze clerics visited a revered shrine in northern Israel, the Kan public broadcaster reported.
As the delegation visited Israel for their community’s first pilgrimage to the tomb of Nabi Shuaib near Tiberias in the Galilee since Israel’s creation in 1948, a number of nearby communities reported shooting in the air.
Residents of the northern Israel communities told the outlet that their properties were damaged by the gunfire and accused police of standing by and not taking action. There was no comment from police on the incident.
“We understand the sentiments of the celebrants, but there is also concern because, for the first time, dozens of people from Syria are being brought here, and we know nothing about them,” an unnamed resident told Kan.
With the delegation set to visit the Druze town of Peki’in on Saturday, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, Sheikh Muafak Tarif, has warned against any further gunfire and condemned the Friday night incident, Kan said.
The broadcaster said a warning was issued by the Druze leadership ahead of the visit, reading: “Whoever dares to shoot in Peki’in is actually shooting at us. Whoever shoots is not one of us.”
תיעוד מהירי הכבד אמש בקבר נבי שועיב.
כך 'כיבדו' את המבקרים מסוריה.
אישה נפצעה קל ותושבים בישובים הסמוכים נאלצו להסתגר שעות ארוכות בבתיהם.
(אל תשאלו איפה היתה המשטרה) pic.twitter.com/vyRe43Yi0l— Rubi Hammerschlag | רובי המרשלג (@rubih67) March 15, 2025
On Friday, three buses carrying the Syrian clerics crossed the armistice line at Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights and headed to northern Israel, escorted by military vehicles.
Followers of the esoteric monotheistic faith are mainly divided between Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
A source close to the delegation said that the visit followed an invitation from the Druze community in Israel but had been met with “strong opposition” from other Druze in Syria.
The Druze account for about three percent of Syria’s population and are heavily concentrated in the southern province of Sweida.
In Israel, there are around 150,000 Druze, with most of those living in Israel holding Israeli citizenship and serving in the army.
However, of the some 23,000 living in the Golan Heights, most do not hold Israeli citizenship and still see themselves as Syrian nationals.
Israel seized much of the strategic Golan Heights from Syria in a war in 1967, later annexing the area in 1981 in a move recognized by the US in 2019 but not by most of the international community.
The pilgrimage comes as Israel has voiced support for Syria’s Druze and mistrust of the country’s new Islamist leaders.
Following the ousting of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syria and sent troops into the demilitarized buffer zone of the Golan in southwest Syria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that southern Syria must be completely demilitarized, warning that his government would not accept the presence of the forces of the new Islamist-led government near its territory.
During a visit to military outposts in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Israel and Syria on Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel would remain in the area and ensure the protection of the Druze.
In early March, following a deadly clash between government-linked forces and Druze fighters in the suburbs of Damascus, Katz said Israel would not allow Syria’s new rulers “to harm the Druze.” Druze leaders immediately rejected Katz’s warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.
The Times of Israel Community.