Netanyahu: I contacted the legitimate authority during the Sweida crisis
Netanyahu reveals direct contact with the Syrian president following an attack on the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Sweida.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
In the first acknowledgment of direct contact between the two men, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he spoke with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shortly after an Israeli airstrike targeted Syria’s Ministry of Defense and another strike hit near the presidential palace in Damascus in July 2025.
During a Likud party conference on Thursday, Netanyahu said, “I picked up the phone to call al-Sharaa. It was a very short and very sharp conversation, and the massacre stopped,” according to The Times of Israel.
He added during the conference, which was attended by a Druze audience, “I will do everything in my power to protect our brothers and your brothers.”
Israeli officials stated that the airstrikes were aimed at protecting Druze communities in southern Syria amid clashes in the Sweida region.
This announcement marks the first report of a conversation between Netanyahu and al-Sharaa, who assumed power in late 2024 following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. It may also be the first time ever that Israeli and Syrian leaders have spoken directly.
In July 2025, the Sweida governorate witnessed sectarian violence that resulted in the deaths of at least 1,760 people, according to an official investigation commission established by the authorities.
