Hundreds of people fled from Syria to Israel after violence broke out in the south of the country, according to Israeli media reports on Thursday.
The Israeli military returned to neighboring countries overnight, the YNET news portal wrote. Most of them are said to be members of the Druze religious minority. Working to find more Syrian druzes is currently underway.
The Israeli military did not confirm the information as requested.
Israeli era also reported that Israeli forces had repatriated several Syrian druz, adding that it was unclear how many Syrian druz Israel left behind.
The newspaper quoted a Syrian as saying that he wanted to stay in Israel instead of returning to his homeland. He arrived in the country on Wednesday and accompanied by his young son, the report said.
In recent days, the conflict between the Sunni Bedouin and Druze has escalated to center on the Druze-majority city Sweida, where Syrian government forces are deployed.
Report: 1,000 Israeli Druz enters Syria
At the same time, the Israeli military brought back dozens of Israeli Druz from Syria, the Israeli Times reported.
According to YNET, about 1,000 Druz from Israel crossed the border into Syria on Wednesday to protect his brothers from violence. Many of Israel’s druzes have relatives in neighboring countries.
According to the Israel Times, dozens of Druz from Israel are still in Syria.
According to the New York Times, holes in the border fence are now being repaired. The lockdown was also reportedly erected to prevent further transit. The military warned that crossing the border is a criminal offence.
Media reports said that members of the Israeli parliament, who belong to religious minorities, also crossed the border fence to bring Israeli Druz home.
Syrian President to Israel: Don’t try to drag us into war
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa earlier on Thursday accused Israel of trying to drag Syria into the war and said his country would not accept the bait.
“We are the Syrian people and know very well who is trying to drag us into the war and who is trying to split us,” Al-Sharaa said in a speech on Dawn on national television.
“We won’t give them the chance to haunt our people, it will only break our homes and sow the seeds and destroy them.”
Al-Sharaa accused Israel of exploitation instability after the regime change, accused it of targeting civilian infrastructure and seeking derailment and reconstruction efforts.
“Victory cannot be guaranteed by power alone, and igniting a war is not the same as controlling it,” he said. “We are stronger than any attempt to break us apart.”
al-Sharaa said during internal turmoil in Sweida, the southern province, that the government had intervened to end the armed conflict between local groups.
Al-Sharaa accused the “illegal factions” of refusing to speak and cheer for obstacles, while accusing Israel of depriving peace efforts through strikes on civilian infrastructure, thereby depriving unrest.
He also reiterated the Druze community’s position in Syrian society, stressed the state’s commitment to protecting its rights and freedoms, and warned against dragging it onto a foreign agenda.
The Israeli Defense Forces stopped Israeli Druz and crossed Syria. Ilia Yefimovich/DPA
