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Understanding Israel's Strikes on Syria: Prevention, Security, Perception in the Shadow of Iran

(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Dr. Dan Diker - The ongoing Islamic invasion and massacre of civilians in the Druze town of Sweida - known in the West as "sectaran violence" - is, more accurately, part of the ongoing jihad. Israel, as the strongest minority community in the Arab Muslim-majority Middle East, is setting a new post-Oct. 7 standard of response. Israel is committed to protecting its Druze citizens and its extended family in Syria, driven by shared minority identity and moral obligation. The Iran-backed Hamas massacre on Oct. 7 has only strengthened Israel's determination to prevent mass atrocities of other regional friendly minorities. Israel's security depends on establishing clear red lines around minority persecution. The catalyst for Israel's action was not the Sweida violence alone, but the likelihood of Syrian-based terror groups continuing to stream southward toward Israel's northern border. Israel's response also reflects its evolving national security doctrine following Oct. 7, which prioritizes prevention over reaction, preemption over containment. When violence threatens to spill into Israeli territory or endanger Israeli citizens, the default response has become decisive intervention to eliminate threats at their source - a fundamental shift from the old doctrine of "quiet for quiet." The new doctrine is "stability and peace through strength" - sometimes requiring striking first and striking hard. Israel is acting to prevent jihadists from moving south towards its border. The uncomfortable truth Western policymakers struggle to acknowledge is that many Islamist movements - Sunni, Shiite, or derivatives - share a fundamental goal of eliminating or subjugating non-Muslim "infidels." This is a theological imperative, not a political grievance resolvable through diplomatic accommodation. The test of Islamist moderation isn't what its leaders say in Washington, but how they treat religious minorities when no one's watching. The writer is president of the Jerusalem Center.
2025-07-22 00:00:00
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