From Druze enclaves to Kurdish regions, Jerusalem seeks local partners and buffer zones
Israel is quietly lobbying for a decentralized and heavily demilitarized Syria built around empowered minorities and pro‑Western factions, several regional sources tell The Levant Files (TLF). What began as a limited effort to shield Druze communities in the south is evolving into a broader vision that also embraces Kurdish demands for autonomy and closer ties with Syrian groups regarded as Western‑leaning and anti‑Islamist.
This emerging Israeli approach marks a rare and serious point of divergence with the United States. While the Trump administration is investing in the consolidation of Syria’s new central government under President Ahmed al‑Sharaa, Israel is maneuvering to lock in a looser, cantonized order that limits the reach and firepower of Damascus, especially along Israel’s borders.
An Arab source from the Levant, speaking on condition of anonymity, summarized Israel’s thinking as “a Syria that rules itself but cannot threaten its neighbors.” According to this official, Israeli interlocutors have repeatedly emphasized decentralization and demilitarization as the only stable formula for post‑war Syria.
Beyond the Druze: A Network of Pro‑Western Partners
Israel’s longstanding interest in protecting the Druze minority inside Syria has taken on a new, more strategic dimension. Druze communities in and around Jabal al‑Druze and near the occupied Golan Heights have deep familial and religious ties to Israel. Israeli officials now portray these communities not only as vulnerable minorities but also as potential anchors of a broader, decentralized order.
Sources in Kurdish political circles say that Israel is quietly signalling support for Kurdish demands for local self‑rule in northern and northeastern Syria. Intermediaries believed to be acting with Israeli backing have raised the prospects of future economic and security coordination once Syria’s political landscape stabilizes, according to Kurdish figures in Erbil and Qamishli who spoke to TLF.
In central and northern Syria, Israeli outreach has also extended to local councils and former rebel factions that recast themselves as municipal administrators and neighborhood security forces once the large‑scale fighting ebbed. The common thread connecting these disparate actors, one Western security official noted, is their shared opposition to jihadist currents and to the expansion of Iranian‑backed militias.
A 155‑Square‑Mile Footprint Inside Syria
The most concrete manifestation of Israel’s evolving posture is the 155‑square‑mile security zone it has effectively carved out just beyond its northern frontier. Local residents, regional diplomats and Western intelligence officials describe a patchwork of Israeli Special Forces activities, local Druze self‑defense units and a diminished but still present footprint of Syrian security personnel.
Within this area, Israel has carried out arrests of individuals accused of cooperating with Islamist factions or Iranian‑linked networks. Weapons caches, including anti‑tank systems and short‑range rockets, have reportedly been seized or destroyed. The surrounding countryside has seen a sharp increase in targeted airstrikes on mobile units and suspected arms convoys, which Israel frames as pre‑emptive defensive operations.
Local accounts from two towns in rural southern Syria paint a more ambiguous picture. Residents describe a complex environment in which Israeli patrols move gingerly around Syrian checkpoints, informal Druze militias coordinate with both sides, and ordinary civilians navigate an uneasy coexistence with limited clarity about who is ultimately in charge.
These developments are coming to the forefront while Washington is maneuvering for a deal between Jerusalem and Damascus. Israel approaches this step with a non‑negotiable term: a large, demilitarized buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border.
Damascus Rehabilitated – But Not Fully Reunified
From Damascus, the signals are mixed. The Syrian government has embraced its new role in the fight against the Islamic State, participating in intelligence sharing with the coalition and coordinating military pressure on remaining jihadist pockets in the desert interior. There have been discreet exchanges on border management, refugee returns and the potential sequencing of international sanctions relief.
At the same time, Syrian state media has denounced what it calls “foreign violations of Syrian sovereignty” and insists that all non‑invited forces will ultimately have to withdraw from Syrian soil. In private discussions, according to diplomats, al‑Sharaa has indicated a willingness to consider “administrative decentralization” in Kurdish and other regions, but he has drawn a red line at anything resembling permanent partition or formalized foreign buffer zones.