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A Syrian Druze activist spoke to ILTV News on condition of anonymity, asking that the station blur his face, alter his voice, and withhold his name out of fear he could be targeted for speaking out.
ILTV: Why do you want to speak out now? Why is it so important for you to use your voice at this time, after a week of violent clashes?
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EXCLUSIVE: ATTACKS CONTINUE IN SYRIA
(ILTV )
Druze activist: Agencies try to get in touch, but I don’t trust them—they’re not delivering the right message. That’s why we reached out. The situation won’t stop on its own. We shouldn’t keep our mouths shut. The community needs to know what’s happening. There are a lot of rumors being spread by [Syrian] media, which is covering up their crimes. We need to speak up. We need to spread the truth. Something must be done to stop this. Why should we be exterminated for something we didn’t do?
Although there’s been some de-escalation since last week’s deadly clashes, Syrian Druze say attacks are continuing. They claim they are in imminent danger and doing what they can to defend themselves, as they say they cannot trust that anyone will protect them.
Druze activist: Everyone is panicking all the time. They keep shooting so that we shoot back and the conflict keeps going. This is what jihadists do—to radicalize the region and push out the minorities. They have a larger plan. No one is talking about it. No one is trying to stop them.
On Sunday, Syrian Druze reported that one of their holy sites was burned by extremists. Locals say their culture and religion are also under attack.
Druze activist: This is systematic genocide. We’ve never had conflict with anyone—only with these extremists who attacked us for no reason. We don’t act like them. We’re not criminals. We’re defending our land, and we’ll do so down to the last drop of blood.
The IDF has confirmed strikes in Syria in response to recent attacks and has airlifted injured Syrian Druze for medical treatment. Israeli Druze leaders say Israel has a moral obligation to help.