A recently surfaced video from northern Syria has reignited concerns over the persistent threat posed by Iranian-backed terror groups targeting minority communities and challenging Israel’s security. The footage, which features a prominent figure linked to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)—a successor to al-Qaeda’s Syrian wing—explicitly calls for attacks against the region’s Druze population. This latest incitement comes as Israel remains vigilant along its northern border, confronting ongoing multi-front challenges from Iran’s extensive terror network, which comprises Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and several Syrian-based militias.
Sectarian Incitement and the Realities on Israel’s Northern Frontier
The video in question, which Israeli officials and regional analysts have condemned, reveals an HTS operative urging followers to harm the Druze, a minority group with ancient roots in Syria and strong representation in Israel. The provocation underscores repeated warnings from Israeli military and intelligence officials about the dangers posed by Syrian-based jihadist organizations—even as some have attempted to rebrand themselves in an effort to gain legitimacy or external support.
HTS, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has a history of directing violence and threats toward minority communities. The group emerged from Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s former branch in Syria, and remains ideologically committed to establishing Islamic rule by force, often at the expense of non-Sunni populations such as the Druze. Despite attempts by Jolani to project moderation for Western audiences in recent years, Israeli and Western counterterrorism experts repeatedly warn that the organization’s foundational goals and methods remain unchanged.
The Druze: History of Persecution and Israeli Solidarity
The Druze minority, whose numbers are concentrated in Syria and northern Israel, has long faced cycles of persecution and forced assimilation. In Israeli society, the Druze are full citizens, distinguished by their service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and their role in public life. In Syria, however, extremist factions have frequently targeted Druze villages—most notably in Suwayda and the Quneitra region—with threats of violence, property destruction, or forced conversion.
Israel’s defense doctrine emphasizes the protection of all residents—including the Druze—against sectarian and terror threats. The 2017 attempted invasion of the Druze town of Khader by jihadist fighters, thwarted due to Israeli diplomatic and military pressure, serves as a recent example. Israeli officials consistently underscore the state’s moral and legal obligation to prevent massacres on its borders—a policy upheld by the current government, the military high command, and Israeli society at large.
Terrorism and Iranian Regional Strategy: The Syrian Front
AT the regional level, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies—either directly or through facilitating chaos—have played a significant part in destabilizing Syria and enabling terrorist groups to operate with impunity near the Israeli border. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, while sometimes in tactical competition with Iranian-backed Hezbollah, has benefited from the persistent lawlessness engineered by the Iranian regime’s effort to undermine Syria’s sovereignty and encircle Israel.
Iran’s aim to entrench itself militarily in Syria, as seen through the flow of advanced weapons and fighters to the country’s southwest, is viewed by Israel as a direct security threat. The Israeli government and the IDF, now under the leadership of Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, maintain active intelligence gathering and rapid military response capabilities to counter cross-border terrorism, missile fire, and infiltration by hostile actors.
Western Misconceptions and Counterterrorism Policy
Jolani’s recent media campaign to rebrand HTS as a moderate, anti-ISIS force has not convinced Israeli or U.S. specialists. The persistent promotion of extremist ideologies, as exposed by the Druze-incitement video, undermines efforts to legitimize the group as a plausible partner in Syria’s complex conflict. Israel has repeatedly urged its international partners to resist being misled by the cosmetic changes in rhetoric and to recognize the consistent threat posed by all Iranian-backed or jihadist elements operating in proximity to Israel.
Context of Ongoing Conflict: Lessons of October 7 and Beyond
The specter of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in southern Israel—the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust, characterized by mass murder, abductions, and sexual abuse—casts a long shadow over contemporary Israeli security doctrine. The foundational lesson, as articulated by successive Israeli governments, is the catastrophic price of underestimating adversaries’ ideological commitments or intentions. This applies equally to the northern front, where terror groups’ incitement to ethnic and sectarian violence presents a continuous threat to Israeli citizens and regional minorities.
Amid an unprecedented multi-front war, Israel’s leaders emphasize that deterrence along every border—including the Golan Heights—is essential to ensuring the safety and freedom of all residents, regardless of background.
Israel’s Forward Policy: Zero Tolerance for Incitement
The public dissemination of the HTS operative’s call to violence against the Druze is being treated by Israeli authorities not as isolated rhetoric but as a credible warning. Security forces remain on high alert, leveraging decades of operational experience to prevent terror escalation and protect vulnerable communities both inside Israel and across the border. The government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Israel Katz, has stressed Israel’s readiness to act decisively and preemptively against any threat emanating from Syria or other Iranian-controlled areas.
In the face of persistent incitement, Israel’s moral and strategic doctrine forbids any sign of hesitation. This approach has long guided the IDF and intelligence services in balancing active deterrence against humanitarian obligations to civilians caught in regional conflict, such as the Druze on both sides of the border.
Global Stakes: The Broader Battle Against Iranian-Backed Terror
The Israeli assessment is clear: an alliance of Iranian-backed networks—spanning Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, and Yemen—poses a substantial and ongoing threat to regional order, minority rights, and the security of Israel’s citizens. As long as international actors tolerate or inadvertently enable rebranded terror organizations under the guise of moderation, the risk to the Middle East’s most vulnerable populations remains acute.
Israel’s war against these threats is not just about territorial integrity—it is about defending the fundamental right of its people and neighboring minorities to live without fear of extermination or subjugation. The incitement displayed in the recent HTS video must therefore be seen as unacceptable and dangerous by responsible states and organizations worldwide.
Conclusion: Strength in Vigilance and Clarity
The disturbing incitement against the Druze community by a Jolani-affiliated operative illustrates the unbroken ideological thread linking Syrian terror factions, Iranian hegemonic ambitions, and the existential dangers facing Israel. Confronting this reality with open eyes, Israel’s leadership and security establishment continue to uphold a doctrine of readiness and resolve—refusing to be lulled by rhetorical shifts or terrorist rebranding. The imperative, as ever, is to remain vigilant, defend the innocent, and ensure that neither history nor Israel’s adversaries are ever allowed to repeat past atrocities.
