With Israel escalating its attacks on Syrian territory under the banner of “protecting the Druze,” the Syrian fact-checking group Eekad has revealed what appears to be a clandestine, coordinated, Israeli-backed campaign aimed at driving the Druze-majority Suwayda region toward secession - against the wishes of the majority of Syrian Druze people.

In a thread published on X (formerly Twitter) on April 30, Eekad, an Arabic-language investigative platform specializing in countering disinformation, identified a network of Syrian Druze and Israeli figures working in tandem through political, economic, and media channels to promote a breakaway Druze entity aligned with Israel.

The investigation, which was sparked by an Israeli job advertisement targeting Syrian Druze, uncovered an interconnected operation spanning individual and group social media accounts, recruitment pages, and personal ties between figures in Suwayda, Europe, and Israel. As the investigation shows, the network is exploiting Syria’s and the Druze community’s deepening economic desperation to normalize Israeli intervention and sway public opinion toward partition.

Though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that his country’s military operations are meant to defend the Druze from alleged government repression, Eekad’s findings throw further doubt on these always implausible claims, showing a strategy of inculcating a narrative of Druze salvation and opportunity through Israel.

At the center of the campaign is Mashaal al Shaar, a Druze activist in Suwayda who launched the ‘Youth Service Movement’ Facebook page in early March—just days before Israel’s first public offer of jobs to Syrian Druze. Around Shaar is a web of activists and influencers, such as Abu Kinan Mulla, Fouad Murad, and Muad Khair, all of whom use multiple social media accounts to push the secessionist message and normalize relations with Israel.

Eekad traced a pattern of cross-platform coordination, including identical employment posts, synchronized profile changes featuring Israeli symbols, and unified narratives attacking the Syrian state. The campaign also includes hate speech against Muslims and strategic promotion of controversial Druze leadership figures, such as Sheikh al-Hijri, as part of its sectarian tilt.

The media arm of the campaign includes platforms like ‘Druze Press,’ ‘Wahid,’ and the ‘Druze Youth Movement,’ all of which aggressively promote Israeli narratives. Others, like ‘Free Suwayda’ and ‘Huna Salkhad,’ have targeted popular anti-interventionist Druze figures like Faisal al-Qassem and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, while amplifying the Israeli line.

On the Israeli side, former Communications Minister Ayoob Kara, a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, emerges as a central figure. Kara, who openly advocated in 2024 for the replacement of Palestinian non-Druze workers with Syrian Druze, now appears to be connected with multiple individuals in the pro-secession network, including Muad Khair and Fouad Murad. Other Israeli figures, such as Mundi Safadi and Abu Shaib Azzam, have also been linked to the campaign through digital interactions and shared propaganda.

Eekad notes that what it uncovered does not appear to be a disjointed collection of opinions but a structured operation working across borders. It uses economic hardship, social media manipulation, and political proxies to alter the map of Syria under the pretense of empowerment.

While the campaign remains largely digital for now, the platform suggests this is only the beginning. A forthcoming report by the group will allegedly expose direct ties between Israeli entities and military formations in Suwayda, suggesting deeper coordination beyond online influence.

As the region braces for further instability, the revelations raise urgent questions about external manipulation of Syria’s internal fractures—and the possibility of a new flashpoint emerging under Israel’s watchful eye and with its nurturing and encouragement.

Image: Eekad

Original thread from Eekad (in Arabic): https://x.com/EekadFacts/status/1917531877864530366/photo/1