CAIRO: Israel’s military said on Saturday its forces deployed in southern Syria were ready to protect the Druze minority, following recent sectarian clashes.
The Israeli army “is deployed in southern Syria and is prepared to prevent the entry of hostile forces into the area of Druze villages,” the military said in a statement, without specifying whether this was a new deployment or elaborating on the number of troops on the ground.
A Druze official in Sweida province, the heartland of Syria’s Druze community, said there had been “no deployment of Israeli soldiers there.”
Israel’s troop presence is “reportedly confined to Quneitra province” near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, where the army had “established positions” following the ousting of longtime president Bashar Assad in December, the official added.
After deadly sectarian clashes near Damascus earlier this week, Israel has conducted multiple strikes it says were meant to protect the Druze community and warned Syria’s Islamist rulers against harming the minority group.
On Saturday the Israeli military said that “five Syrian Druze citizens were evacuated to receive medical treatment in Israel overnight” after sustaining injuries on Syrian territory.
The Druze official in Sweida said they had been wounded “in clashes in Sahnaya,” the site of recent sectarian violence near Damascus.
They were “afraid of being sent to hospitals in Damascus, out of fear of being detained,” the official added.
According to army statements, a total of 15 Syrian Druze have been admitted to hospital in Israel since the beginning of the week.
Israel launched more than 20 air strikes inside Syria late Friday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, following an attack near the presidential palace in Damascus, which the authorities condemned as a “dangerous escalation.”
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Thursday that Israel will respond forcefully if Syria’s new government fails to protect the Druze minority.
The Israeli strikes came after Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to Damascus, following clashes also involving government-affiliated groups.
The Observatory monitor said more than 100 people were killed in the clashes in Sahnaya and Jaramana, both near Damascus, and in Sweida province.
Israel military says deployed in southern Syria in support of Druze
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Israel military says deployed in southern Syria in support of Druze
- Israel's military said on Saturday its forces deployed in southern Syria were ready to protect the Druze minority, following recent sectarian clashes.
Morocco pushes to reform social security system amid inflation and economic pressure, PM says
- Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Aziz Akhannouch said his government had expanded healthcare to more than 80 percent of its population
DUBAI: Morocco’s prime minister said on Tuesday that the country was pursuing radical social and economic reforms in the wake of inflationary and economic pressures.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Aziz Akhannouch said his government had expanded healthcare to more than 80 percent of its population, up from just 42 percent when he took office three years ago.
He said this also coincided with consistently strong economic growth and headline inflation reducing to below 1 percent.
“In a world that doubts itself, Morocco has decided to protect its population, reform and look forward,” he told attendees in Davos.
In late 2025, Morocco was rocked by its largest demonstrations in over a decade as youth‑led groups mobilized nationwide against deteriorating public services, deepening social inequality, and chronic unemployment.
Akhannouch said the country was aware of the difficulties facing Moroccans and was determined to ensure the country would remain on a positive trajectory.
Part of this included the provision of financial aid to more than 12 million citizens, and the formation of trusts for orphans to be paid out when they turn 18.
“Health means dignity, if you want to have a decent life you have to have good health,” he said.
Nevertheless, Akhannouch noted that the government had not forgone its budgetary principles — and had in fact balanced the country’s debt payments and achieved successful fiscal reforms. He noted S&P’s decision in 2025 to raise Morocco’s sovereign rating to BBB‑/A‑3 and restore its investment‑grade status.
Speaking on the World Cup, set to be co-hosted with neighbors Spain and Portugal in 2030, he said the project was seen as a nation-building exercise that would help spur Morocco to develop its underlying infrastructure and provide employment opportunities for young Moroccans.
“It will be a growth accelerator,” he said.
“When we build new rail networks and upgrade cities it will have a long-term impact on people.”
