Netanyahu ordered the army to prepare to defend the Druze minority in Syria.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the Defense Minister, Israel Katz, have ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare to protect Jaramana, a Druze city on the outskirts of Damascus.

This locality was recently attacked by the forces of the new Syrian regime, according to a statement released Saturday night by the Ministry of Defense.

"We will not allow the extremist Islamic terrorist regime of Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms the Druze, it will face the consequences from us," Netanyahu and Katz expressed in a joint statement.

"We have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare and send a clear and strong warning: if the regime harms the Druze, it will face the consequences from us," they added.

They also explained: "We are committed to our Druze brothers in Israel and will do everything possible to prevent their Druze brothers in Syria from suffering harm, taking all necessary measures to ensure their safety."

Syrian media reported that one person died and two others were injured in a shooting in the city of Jaramana. According to reports, the clashes occurred between the forces of the new Islamist government and "armed groups."

New conflict hotspots

Meanwhile, as tensions rise in southern Syria, the country's coastal area is witnessing fierce clashes between Syrian security forces and activists linked to the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad.

These attacks represent one of the most severe episodes of violence that the new regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa has faced since Assad's fall in December.

Syrian television, aligned with the new Damascus administration, reported that the clashes were still unfolding in the Jableh region, part of the coastal area that is the core of the Alawite sect, to which the Assad family belongs.

This coastal region has become one of the greatest security challenges for Ahmed al-Sharaa, as his government attempts to consolidate its control over the country after more than a decade of civil war.

The Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a source from the Ministry of Defense, reported that "remnants of Assad's militias" had launched coordinated attacks in several areas. It was noted that reinforcements from the new regime were being sent to the Jableh area to support the security forces.

Earlier this week, two members of the Ministry of Defense were killed in the city of Latakia by groups that state media have identified as "remnants of Assad's militia."