During the recent clashes between Druze forces and Sunni militias aligned with Al-Sharaa in southern Damascus, Israel wasted no time launching airstrikes deep into Syrian territory. The justification? A supposed historical alliance with the Druze. But let’s be honest that was never the real reason.
Israel’s strategy is clear. A divided, weakened Syria serves its interests far more than a stable, united one. A crumbled Syria means no strong central government, no real military threat, and no organized resistance that could turn its eyes toward Gaza. Because if Syria ever gets its house in order, the fighters who once fought each other could easily redirect their energy toward Palestinian solidarity and that’s the last thing Israel wants.
Israel also has unfinished business with Syria. The Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War, remains one of the most strategic and illegally occupied territories in the region. International law still recognizes it as Syrian land, but Israel holds onto it with military force and continues to settle it. By keeping Syria unstable, Israel avoids any real threat of Damascus reclaiming Golan. The chaos ensures there’s no functioning state to negotiate or resist.
Israel now seeks to create buffer zones on the Syrian border under the guise of national security. But these zones aren’t about safety they’re about control. The more fragmented Syria becomes, the easier it is for Israel to hold onto what it took by force and expand its influence further into Syrian territory.
Israel knows that a stable Syria could become a staging ground for pan-Arab or pan-Islamic movements, especially in the wake of what’s happening in Gaza. Many of these fighters, shaped by war and loyal to charismatic, cult-like leaders, wouldn’t think twice about turning their firepower toward Israel under the banner of jihad.
And let’s not forget this isn’t new. Israel has always benefited from internal conflict among its neighbors. In Lebanon, it watched Shia and Christian factions go to war with Sunni militias. In Syria, it manipulates sectarian divides; Kurds against Sunnis, Shias against Druze, everyone against each other.
The truth is, Al-Sharaa and his Sunni forces pose no real threat to Israel. They lack drones, aircraft, and modern artillery. Israel, meanwhile, maintains complete air dominance and uses surveillance technology to strike at will. The battlefield isn’t fair and Israel likes it that way.
Even though Al-Sharaa once supported normalization through the Abraham Accords, Syria’s limited military operations in the south have been used as an excuse to discard any cooperation. Not that Syria has the strength to dictate terms. With its institutions broken and its military fragmented, it is in no position to resist Israeli intrusion.
What Israel really wants is to keep Syria in pieces. No unity, no peace, no power, just factions too busy fighting each other to fight back.
