Israel Reportedly Backs Druze Fighters in Syria as U.S. Pressures Damascus Toward Security Pact with Jerusalem

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Worthy News) – Israel is supplying weapons and paying salaries to thousands of Druze fighters in southern Syria while Damascus, under U.S. pressure, accelerates talks with Jerusalem over a possible security pact, according to multiple reports citing regional and intelligence sources.

Two senior Druze commanders and a Western intelligence source told Reuters and Israel Hayom that Israel has provided arms and ammunition to Druze militias in the Sweida region and is covering salaries for many of the roughly 3,000 fighters active there. The effort comes as unrest and massacres in Sweida—carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa—have fueled demands for Druze self-determination.

At the same time, U.S. officials are pressing Syria and Israel to accelerate negotiations ahead of the United Nations General Assembly later this month, where President Donald Trump hopes to announce progress toward Middle East peace. One Israeli security source described Washington’s efforts as “personal for Trump,” but added that “Israel is not offering much” despite U.S. pressure.

Focus on 1974 Truce Lines

The talks reportedly center on restoring the 1974 disengagement agreement that ended hostilities following the Yom Kippur War. The envisioned pact would involve an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pullback from southeastern Syria, a halt to Israeli airstrikes and cross-border raids, and the re-establishment of a demilitarized buffer zone.

The Golan Heights—seized by Israel in 1967 and unilaterally recognized as Israeli territory by Trump in his first term—has not been included in the current talks. Syrian officials say any compromise over the Golan would undermine Sharaa’s rule. Israel, for its part, has flatly ruled out concessions on the strategic plateau.

“We have conveyed through the Americans that this is not open for discussion,” an Israeli official told Reuters. However, Israel floated the idea of a partial withdrawal from southern Syria in exchange for Damascus renouncing its claim to the Golan.

U.S. Role and Regional Backdrop

A senior U.S. administration official confirmed that Trump told Sharaa during a May meeting in Riyadh that Washington expects Syria to pursue peace and normalization with Israel and its neighbors. “The President wants peace throughout the Middle East,” the official said.

The negotiations, modeled on the phased process that produced Israel’s 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, have included secretive meetings in Abu Dhabi, Baku, and Paris. The Paris round brought together Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, though participants described the atmosphere as tense and marked by mistrust.

Meanwhile, the United States, Syria, and Jordan have announced a separate roadmap to restore order in Sweida, where deadly sectarian clashes in July between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes left hundreds dead and displaced more than 160,000 people, according to U.N. figures. That agreement includes guarding roads, prosecuting those accused of incitement, and restoring aid and services.

Fragile Prospects

Analysts caution that the groundwork for an Israel-Syria deal is shaky. Israel has imposed buffer zones in neighboring territories since Hamas’s October 2023 attack, while Damascus remains weakened by years of civil war and internal bloodshed. Syrian officials admit that “the basic elements of trust simply do not exist.”

Still, developments in Sweida—where Druze militias are increasingly aligned with Israel against Damascus—have shifted the balance. Israel sees unifying the Druze factions as a way to secure its northern frontier and curb the influence of Iran and Hezbollah.

Former Turkish diplomat Erdem Ozan told Reuters that Sharaa may seek to accelerate talks to unlock economic aid and reconstruction funding from Gulf states and Washington. Yet he must balance concessions with the risk of alienating his fragile domestic base.

As one Syrian source put it: “Avoiding confrontation with Israel is central to Sharaa’s plan to rebuild and govern—but the future of the Golan remains untouchable.”

Reporting contributed by Worthy News staff and wire services.

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