Israel’s Defence Ministry announced on Sunday that it will permit Syrian Druze workers to enter the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, although it did not specify when the issuance of permits would commence.
The Golan Heights is inhabited by approximately 24,000 Druze, an Arab minority practicing a branch of Islam, who also reside in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
Israel seized the majority of this strategically significant plateau from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and formally annexed it in 1981. While the United States recognizes it as Israeli territory, most nations consider it occupied land.
A significant number of Syrian Druze have historically supported the ousted President Bashar al-Assad, and many families maintain connections with relatives in the Golan Heights.
The Israeli government has expressed concerns that Syria’s new leadership poses a threat to Israel and has committed to safeguarding minority groups in Syria, including the Druze.
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Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes targeting Syria’s strategic weapon stockpiles and military facilities, asserting that these operations aim to prevent such resources from being utilized by rebel factions that contributed to Assad’s downfall, some of which have ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
