Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement yesterday, following Israeli air strikes on Syrian government forces in southern Syria and on the defense ministry headquarters in Damascus, the day before, in which he laid out Israel’s intentions in southern Syria.
“We have set forth a clear policy: demilitarization of the region to south of Damascus, from the Golan Heights and to the Druze Mountain area,” he said. “That’s rule number one. Rule number two is protecting the brothers of our brothers, the Druze at the Druze Mountain.
“Both those rules were broken by the regime in Damascus. The regime sent troops south of Damascus, into the region that has to be demilitarized, and began slaughtering the Druze. That we could not accept in any way, and I therefore directed the IDF to take action—and take powerful action. ... As a result of that powerful action, a ceasefire came into force, and the Syrian forces retreated back to Damascus. That is important,” Netanyahu went on, using language obviously meant to be heard in Washington. “This is a ceasefire that was reached through strength. Not by making requests, not by begging—through strength. We are reaching peace through strength, quiet through strength, security through strength—on seven fronts.”
