Israel Moves Toward a Process of 'Redefinition'

The clash on July 13 in Suwayda between Bedouin Arabs and militias affiliated with the Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri, known for his ties to Israel, has brought about new realities not only in Syria but across the broader region.

The Suwayda incidents revealed that following the events of October 7, genocidal Israel having lost all strategic gains and rapidly becoming isolated from the international community has been left with no remaining viable cards to play except a small group of Druze and the YPG. Even these cards were squandered by Netanyahu in his desperate pursuit to remain in power. Israel has come to realize that even the United States no longer supports its attacks in Syria.

A Growing Atmosphere Against Israel in the Region

The massacres carried out by the Netanyahu government in Palestine and its attacks on neighboring countries have fostered a sense of unity across the Islamic world against Israel. Among Muslim nations, a belief has spread that Israel can only be restrained through power. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a "Jerusalem Alliance" has resonated throughout the Islamic world. His proposal to rebuild the historical unity among Turks, Kurds, and Arabs the true proprietors of the region and to establish a new, peace-based order in the Middle East has been met with enthusiasm.

Israel’s Last Cards: The Druze and the Kurds

Realizing that a regional alliance against it has formed and that the Abraham Accords have lost their relevance, Israel has overtly resumed its role as protector of minority groups such as the Druze and Kurds, long considered components of its “Periphery Doctrine” since the 1950s.

In response to the Israeli threat and to reinforce national unity, Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Türkiye’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), issued a call for a “Terror-Free Türkiye,” which was positively received by PKK/KCK leader Abdullah Öcalan. Öcalan urged the organization to lay down arms and dissolve itself. This call was heeded, and the group began a process of disbanding, marked by the symbolic burning of their weapons on July 11. This move was largely welcomed among Kurds in Türkiye, Iraq, and Syria and dealt a significant blow to Israel’s doctrine, which had aimed to fragment the region through the instrumentalization of such groups.

Israel’s only remaining Kurdish card was the YPG within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Tel Aviv encouraged the SDF, which had signed an integration agreement with the Damascus government on March 10, to disregard the agreement and continue demanding autonomy. The YPG, under the leadership of Mazloum Abdi and holding significant military power, has repeatedly declared that it would not accept being part of a unitary state.

Israel also activated its Druze card in Syria on July 13. In Suwayda, it encouraged the escalation of clashes between militias affiliated with the Israel-linked Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri and Bedouin Arabs. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “We will not allow the deployment of forces to the south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community” and launched airstrikes on Syrian army personnel who had entered the city to halt the conflict and secure a ceasefire. Although the Damascus government reached an agreement with Druze notables and withdrew, Israel continued its aggression, carrying out airstrikes around the General Staff Headquarters and the Presidential Palace in Damascus on July 15–16.

During this period, the SDF/YPG in the north was seen expressing solidarity with the Druze against the Damascus government. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned the YPG, stating: “We are also receiving reports of YPG mobilization. Our message to them is do not take advantage of the current unrest to engage in undesirable actions. Do not further complicate the already sensitive and critical process in Syria. Play a constructive and stabilizing role. Otherwise, opportunism will bring great risk.”

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Bruce announced that the United States did not support Israel’s attacks.

Following the establishment of a ceasefire in Syria on July 17, the joint declaration signed by Türkiye and ten Arab countries confirmed that “the security and stability of Syria is a fundamental element of regional security and a shared priority.” This was interpreted as a sign of an emerging anti-Israel bloc in the region.

The Entry of Bedouin Arab Tribes and the Disruption of the Game

After government forces withdrew, images emerged showing Druze militias taking approximately 1,500 Bedouins hostage and massacring hundreds of Sunni Arab civilians in a hospital. In response, Bedouin tribes across the Arab world rose up. Tens of thousands of armed tribal fighters moved to Suwayda from Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Hama, Homs, and Aleppo to join the battle. Tribal representatives, who pledged allegiance to the Syrian government, declared that they were acting in coordination with Damascus and stated that the Druze had been provoked by Israel.

Declarations from Jordanian, Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, and other Gulf Bedouin tribes indicating their readiness to join the fight disrupted Israel’s strategy of pitting the Syrian army against civilians and fragmenting Syria through the Druze and YPG. The rapid organization and mobilization of Arab tribes, which share confederation ties, surprised many. Israel, which had deployed certain Druze elements and the YPG on the ground, found itself facing tribes loyal to the Syrian state.

On July 20–21, a U.S.-backed ceasefire was implemented, halting the hostilities. The alliance formed between tribal forces and the Damascus government as a result of the Suwayda incidents signaled not only a shift in the balance regarding the Druze but also posed a new challenge for the SDF/YPG.

The joint statement issued on July 26 by 133 tribes and clans declared their readiness to confront the YPG seen as Israel’s proxy force should it refuse to integrate into the country. The statement read: “We reject the project carried out by the PKK terrorist organization and its affiliated militia forces against the Syrian people and state with the support of foreign powers. In this context, we declare our determination to stand against these organizations and to defend our lands.” The Arab tribes and clans clearly declared that they would fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the Syrian Arab Republic’s army to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria and to resist any threats to the country’s independence, unity, and the rights of its people.

Considering that up to 70% of the population in SDF-controlled areas is composed of Arab tribes and clans, an internal conflict within the SDF between Arabs and separatist Kurds appears imminent. While Israel played the Druze and YPG cards on the ground, it had not anticipated the emergence of a broad Arab front, nor the tribes’ alignment with the Damascus government.

Syria Requests Military Support from Türkiye

Another development that disrupted Israel’s calculations was the Syrian government’s formal request made for the first time for military support from Türkiye to enhance its defense capacity and combat all terrorist organizations. Türkiye responded positively to this request.

On Tuesday, July 23, sources from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense (MSB) emphasized Türkiye’s ongoing commitment to preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, ensuring regional stability, and fighting terrorist organizations. It was announced that efforts were underway to provide training, advisory, and technical support to strengthen Syria’s defense capabilities, as per the official request.

On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Türkiye would directly intervene to stop any attempts to divide Syria and would prevent militants from pursuing autonomy in the wake of the southern conflicts. Emphasizing that many issues could be discussed through diplomacy, Fidan said, “However, if you go beyond that and pursue fragmentation and instability, we will consider it a direct threat to our security and intervene.”

Following this statement, images and reports of armored vehicles and special operations units being sent to Syria appeared in the media.

No Country Other Than Israel and Iran Wants Instability in Syria

Two days before the Suwayda clashes erupted, on July 11, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met with members of the press in New York. He stated that the process of building “one country, one nation, one army” in Syria was ongoing and that the U.S. supports a unitary Syrian state. He emphasized that the U.S. had not given any guarantees for the establishment of a separate SDG state and was encouraging unification with the Damascus government.

On July 21, speaking in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, Barrack strongly criticized Israel’s intervention in Syria in light of the Suwayda crisis. He stated that Israel preferred a fragmented and divided Syria over a strong central government, that Israel did not consult the U.S. regarding its airstrikes on Syria, and that Washington had no role in those operations. He added that the strikes had undermined former President Trump’s efforts toward Syria-Israel normalization. Barrack affirmed that Washington supports the new Syrian administration and declared, “There is no alternative to working with this administration in its efforts to reunify the country.”

The fact that the entire international community except Israel and Iran supports Syria’s stability and territorial integrity, coupled with the lifting of previously imposed sanctions and the backing of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, underscores how disconnected Israel’s plan to fragment Syria using the YPG and Druze truly is.

Conclusion

On July 28, Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler met with U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack, with Syria as the main topic of discussion. Although no official statement was made following the meeting, Syrian Foreign Ministry officials provided remarks to the media based on the information shared with them. According to these statements, Tom Barrack conveyed that if the SDF refused to merge and hand over territories, the last resort would be a military operation. In such a scenario, the United States expected Türkiye to play the most critical role in preventing chaos, including ground intervention by the Turkish army alongside airstrikes to secure vital areas.

Israel’s expectations that recent developments would weaken President Ahmed al-Sharaa and plunge Syria into chaos, leading to its division, were ultimately thwarted. Outside of its two instruments the YPG and militias loyal to Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri other factions rallied around al-Sharaa. On one hand, Arab tribes took to the field with arms and pledged allegiance to the state, while on the other, a security consensus was reached between the Damascus government and Türkiye. As of July 28, this coordination progressed further: Türkiye and the United States agreed that if the SDF/YPG resisted integration, the Turkish military would carry out operations against the YPG.

With a series of moves over the past 15 days, Israel has been strategically cornered, and its room for maneuver in Syria has significantly narrowed. The perception that Israel would be unconditionally supported by the United States has collapsed within Syria.

In a speech that drew significant backlash from Zionist circles, Ambassador Tom Barrack stated, "Israel needs to be redefined. It is currently undergoing a redefinition process. What is happening between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say, ‘time is up, let us open a new path.’ The key to this path is Türkiye.”

Despite committing numerous massacres and acts of genocide, Israel has failed to achieve victory against Hamas resistance. Its starvation tactic imposed on the people of Gaza since March backfired, forcing it to open access to international aid under mounting pressure. Furthermore, its plans in Syria have been neutralized. For Israel, the space to maneuver has disappeared, and the time has come for an “Israeli redefinition.”

Future developments suggest that the Zionist lobby within the U.S., which has long shaped American foreign policy, will lose power and prestige. The era in which the U.S. would support Israel at all costs is coming to an end. The loss of American backing will likely plunge Israel into internal chaos and signal that the days of Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations are fast approaching.