-DAMASCUS, SYRIA - MAY 2, 2025: Government-affiliated security forces were deployed Friday, May 2, to checkpoints at the entrances of the Druze-majority Jaramana neighborhood in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Earlier, the Syrian government announced that it had reached an agreement with residents of Jaramana city to enhance security and hand over weapons to the state. The development was reported by the Damascus Countryside Governorate in a statement published late Thursday on its official Telegram channel. “Under the direction of Damascus Countryside Governor Amer Al-Sheikh, Mohammad Ali Amer, head of the Eastern Ghouta region, met with religious and social leaders in the city of Jaramana,” it said. It said the meeting came “as part of joint efforts to strengthen security and stability and to ensure the return of normal life to Jaramana in a manner that preserves the dignity of its people and ensures their safety under the umbrella of the state and its institutions.” The statement added that the agreement included “expanding the deployment of Ministry of Interior security forces in the city, the immediate handover of heavy weapons, restricting all arms—including unlicensed personal weapons—to state institutions, and the deployment of Ministry of Defense checkpoints around the city for its protection.” Meanwhile, Druze religious leaders and elders affirmed their commitment to a united Syria, stressing their rejection of division or separatism. This came in a statement issued Thursday by the Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria posted on its official Telegram channel. They called for “activating the role of the Ministry of Interior and judicial police in Suwayda Governorate from among the local population,” adding that “securing the Suwayda–Damascus road is a responsibility of the state.” The Druze leaders also demanded the “restoration of security and stability across Syrian territory.” Israeli warplanes carried out a number of airstrikes Wednesday on the outskirts of the town of Ashrafieh Sahnaya in the Damascus countryside in southwestern Syria. The Syrian state news agency SANA said the airstrikes hit several areas around Ashrafieh Sahnaya. “An Israeli aircraft targeted security forces in Ashrafieh Sahnaya today, resulting in the death of a security officer,” Governor Amer Al-Sheikh told a press conference. The Israeli army also said Thursday that “military forces are deployed in southern Syria and are prepared to prevent the entry of hostile forces into the area and into Druze villages.” Israel’s Druze population, estimated at 150,000, mostly holds Israeli citizenship and serves in the military, unlike the 23,000 Druze in Syria’s Golan Heights, who largely reject Israeli citizenship and identify themselves as Syrian nationals. The Syrian Health Ministry said 16 civilians and security personnel were killed in attacks by “outlawed groups” in the town. By Wednesday evening, the Damascus countryside security directorate announced the end of its operation in Ashrafieh Sahnaya. Violence was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording deemed offensive to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, triggering sectarian tension and demands for revenge on social media. Since December 2024, Israel has occupied Syria’s demilitarized buffer zone following the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime, ending the 1974 disengagement agreement without a withdrawal timeline. Syria’s new administration, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has condemned Israel’s actions as violations of the country’s sovereignty and called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces. While Syria emphasizes equal protection for all communities, including the Druze, who constitute about 3% of its population and are concentrated in Suwayda, Israel has claimed that Druze in Syria face attacks, a narrative that Damascus views as a pretext for territorial expansion.