To coincide with the IDF’s ongoing efforts to improve their advanced military presence along the Syrian border, IDF has disclosed some impressive plans toward that end. Specifically, on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This announcement comes as worries are growing over an upsurge of sectarian violence in the region and the safety of local Druze communities. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 during the Six-Day War. It did annex the region in 1981, but that move has never been recognized by the international community as legitimate.
The United States has already lent its support to Israel’s claims by recognizing its sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Under President Donald Trump, that recognition turned into a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. He pledged this back when he first ran for office four years ago. The broader international community continues to reject Israel’s annexation, with countries like Australia acknowledging the ongoing occupation while affirming Syria’s claims to the territory.
In recent months, local tensions have reached a boiling point. This has been particularly visible between Bedouin clans and militia from the Druze community in the Golan Heights. Further complicating matters, the Israeli government has repeatedly signaled its desire to keep the Druze in their current protected status. This community enjoys deep, personal ties to their cousins in southern Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on members of the Israeli Druze community not to breach the border into Syria, warning them that their safety is not guaranteed.
“You are risking your lives. You can be murdered, you can be kidnapped, and you are harming the efforts of the IDF,” Netanyahu reportedly cautioned, imploring his constituents to stay within Israeli borders. He further stated, “Therefore I ask you — return to your homes, let the IDF operate.”
The IDF has continuously and actively operated within Syrian territory. Troops and tanks have already crossed from the Golan Heights into southern Syria, not just as an ancillary military strategy but as an explicit and ongoing military strategy. The organization insists that these operations are crucial to securing the safety of Israeli civilians. “The IDF will continue to operate, both in defence and offence, to ensure the security of Israeli civilians,” an IDF spokesperson affirmed.
Aside from military operations, the local community dynamics have become a lot more complicated. For the Druze community in Israel, their predicament is highlighted as they split their identity between two states. Their ties to family members in Syria make the current chaos of protests and unrest even more personal and sensitive.
The “Shouting Fence” located in the Druze town of Majdal Shams at the northern most tip of the Golan Heights. Here is where residents stretch to maintain contact with family on the other side of the border, employing this makeshift connection point. The situation is still sensitive and should be watched closely by local and international actors invested in peace.
