TEL AVIV, July 16. /TASS/. Israel wants to preserve the status quo in southern Syria and make sure its borders are secure, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"Our interests in Syria are known, limited and clear. The first is to preserve the status quo in southern Syria, near our border, and to prevent threats to Israel in the area. The second is to prevent harm to the Druze community, with whom we, the Druze citizens of Israel, have a strong and enduring bond," he said.

According to the minister, following the change of government Syria exhibits a "phenomenon that has been repeated over and over again: the persecution of minorities that reaches the point of murder and pogroms." Saar mentioned that violence in Syria previously targeted the Kurds, Christians, Alawites and Druze.

"Sometimes it is done by the regime (the Syrian government - TASS), sometimes the jihadist gangs that are its pillars, but most often by both of them," he said.

The Israeli minister questioned the legitimacy of the new government in Damascus, saying it didn’t come to power through an election.

"This is not a democratically elected regime. Sometimes when I am in diplomatic meetings, they talk to me about a ‘transit of power,’ but this is a regime that seized power by force, coming to the Damascus area from Idlib, taking advantage of certain circumstances. The constitution he is promoting is undemocratic and has been rejected by large segments of the population," Saar said.

According to the official, from the Israeli perspective, "any violation of Israeli interests in Syria can’t go unanswered."

"I am convinced that if the regime in Damascus does not come to its senses, it will eventually drift away from all the goals it has set for itself - above all, a better governance of the country and its economic prosperity. So, it will be wise if Damascus comes to its senses and order is restored," Saar said.

Escalating tensions

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it struck the Syrian General Staff compound in Damascus. Before that, Katz warned that Israel would continue to strike Syria unless its government pulled troops from the Druze-populated area in and around the town of Sweida.

Since the change of government in Damascus in 2024, Israel has repeatedly voiced support for the Druze in the neighboring Arab country and expressed its intention to assist them in self-defense if necessary.

The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethnic and religious group whose members live in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. The 700,000 Druze in Syria make up the country’s third-largest religious and ethnic minority after the Kurds and Alawites.