Druze leader denies reports of IDF meeting for support in Syria

Reports of a Druze delegation meeting with the Israeli military on possible action in Syria were denied by a spiritual leader of the community on Sunday.

Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif denied that he had participated in a meeting, with Druze leaders from Syria, asking Israel to intervene in the fighting taking place in the war-torn country.

According to the reports, a meeting recently took place in Jordan between Druze delegations from Syria and Israel, where there is a sizeable Palestinian minority.

Israel's military were alleged asked to act in the Syrian civil war in order to establish a safe area for a Druze entity in southern Syria.

A representative of the Sheikh Tarif denied such a meeting took place, adding that the concept of a separate Druze state has never been a subject for discussion.

"The Druze community did not ask Israel to intervene militarily in what is happening in Syria. This is a false report, which is damaging to the community," the statement said.

"The members of the community in Israel are in pain and worry about the fate of their brothers in Syria and are in contact with them by phone every day."

Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and illegally annexed it in 1981, in a move not recognised by the international community.

Some 20,000 Israeli settlers live in more than 30 settlements in the occupied territory. Around 20,000 Syrians, mostly Druze, also live in the area.

In recent years, Israel has argued that the civil war in Syria justifies its control over the strategic plateau as a bulwark against Iranian expansion in the region.