Netanyahu claims phone call with Syrian president helped end Druze clashes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Israeli military strikes in Syria, alongside a direct telephone conversation with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, helped bring an end to clashes involving the Druze community in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda.

According to local media reports, Netanyahu made the remarks on Thursday during an election campaign meeting with members of the Druze community in Yarka, a Druze village in northern Israel.

The Israeli prime minister said his country's military had carried out strikes against several targets in Syria during the unrest, including the Syrian Ministry of Defense building in Damascus and a site within the Mount Hermon complex.

Netanyahu claimed that the military operations, together with his telephone conversation with al-Sharaa, contributed to stopping the violence.

The remarks referred to clashes that erupted in July 2025 between Druze fighters and Bedouin groups in Syria's Suwayda province.

The confrontation was followed by the intervention of Syrian government forces, further escalating tensions in the region.

Israel subsequently launched airstrikes against Syrian military and government targets, including facilities in Damascus.

Netanyahu's latest statements present the Israeli military intervention and his reported contact with the Syrian president as factors in ending the clashes.

The claim regarding the telephone conversation and its role in stopping the violence has not been independently verified.