Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz discussed recent developments in Syria with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in Washington on Thursday, per an Israeli readout of the meeting, which included Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry.
“We established a clear policy: Southern Syria must be demilitarized, and we will not allow harm to come to the Druze,” the defense minister told Cruz, per the readout. “We stand firmly behind the policy we set.”
From the moment Jerusalem realized that the Syrian regime was complicit in massacres against the local Druze population, the Israel Defense Forces “struck with full force at regime targets in Sweida and Damascus—until the regime forces withdrew, as we had demanded,” Katz said.
“We rely only on God and the IDF to protect the State of Israel,” he said. He added that Israel didn’t trust the Assad family during its 50-year rule, nor does it trust new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, “who deploys jihadist groups against minorities” in the country.
Al-Sharaa could turn jihadist groups “against Israeli villages in the Golan Heights” tomorrow, Katz warned Cruz, per the readout. He added that the IDF presence on the summit of the Syrian Mount Hermon “and in the security zone is the guarantee of our security.”
Katz left Israel for Washington hours after the IDF attacked targets of the Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus in response to regime-linked massacres of the Druze in the southern part of the Arab Republic. His Washington itinerary included meetings with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other senior U.S. officials to discuss Iran and additional security challenges facing the Jewish state.
The visit marks Katz’s first official trip to the United States since he became defense minister in November 2024.
“The Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and withdraw its forces,” Katz said on Wednesday. He added that Jerusalem would not abandon the Druze and would enforce its disarmament policy.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that he phoned “relevant parties” amid the fighting and that he is “very concerned” and urging “real de-escalation” in the conflict.
Rubio told journalists that he believes there was a “misunderstanding” between Jerusalem and Damascus that led to the military action.
An anonymous senior U.S. official told Axios on Wednesday that Trump administration officials asked the Jewish state to “stand down and take a breath.”
