Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly delivered a blunt ultimatum to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the July 2025 massacre of Druze civilians in southern Syria, demanding that Syrian forces withdraw from the city of Sweida by 10 p.m. or face intensified Israeli military strikes. The warning came during an extraordinary telephone conversation between the two leaders, details of which emerged Thursday evening.

According to a report by Naveh Dromi on i24NEWS, the conversation occurred on July 16, 2025, at approximately 1:30 p.m., as violence against the Druze population in the Sweida region prompted Israel to intervene militarily. Netanyahu reportedly rejected a request by al-Sharaa for an additional 48 hours to bring the situation under control, insisting that Syrian forces leave the area before any further discussions could take place.

“I want to be brief. Apparently, the message conveyed through the mediators was not properly understood. A genocide is being committed against the Druze. Your forces must withdraw from Suwayda by 10:00 p.m.,” Netanyahu reportedly told the Syrian President.

The Syrian leader, apparently taken aback by the tone and substance of the demand, responded, “I had hoped the conversation would go differently.”

Netanyahu reportedly made clear that Israel was prepared to expand its military operations against Syrian government targets if Damascus failed to comply with the deadline.

Within hours of the conversation, Israeli aircraft struck prominent Syrian government and military installations in Damascus. Among the targets were the presidential palace compound and the headquarters of the Syrian military’s chief of staff, in an escalation intended to pressure the Syrian leadership to halt the violence against the Druze.

The disclosure followed remarks Netanyahu delivered earlier Thursday at an election gathering attended by members of Israel’s Druze community. During the event, the prime minister publicly acknowledged having spoken directly with al-Sharaa and described the conversation as a decisive element in Israel’s efforts to stop the killings.

“We took down the Defense Ministry in Damascus, just like that, it went. We took out a target in the palace complex. And I picked up a phone and called al-Sharaa; it was a very short call, very sharp, and the massacre stopped,” Netanyahu stated.

Netanyahu also pledged that Israel would continue acting to safeguard the Druze population in Syria, stressing that the responsibility extended beyond stopping the immediate bloodshed to ensuring that displaced residents could return to their communities.

“I will do anything I need to protect our brothers, your brothers and our brothers. We will not allow a massacre; they have to also return to their homes. There is more work to do; I can’t talk about it all. But this commitment comes from the depth of our soul,” he declared.

The reported exchange offers new insight into the direct pressure Israel exerted on the Syrian leadership during one of the most serious episodes of violence in southern Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The Israeli intervention included strikes in the Syrian capital, underscoring Jerusalem’s willingness to use military force to deter further attacks against the Druze.

The unrest in Sweida began with clashes involving Druze armed groups and Bedouin fighters, before Syrian government forces entered the region and became involved in the fighting. Reports of killings, looting, and abuses against Druze civilians intensified calls from Israel’s Druze community for Jerusalem to intervene.

Israeli strikes on July 16 targeted Syria’s Defense Ministry and military headquarters in Damascus, as well as a site near the presidential palace. Syrian authorities subsequently began withdrawing forces from Sweida amid international diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire.

The newly disclosed details are reportedly contained in a collection of approximately 1,000 documents held by Israel’s State Comptroller, encompassing sensitive diplomatic and security discussions conducted over the past three years.

According to i24NEWS, the full transcript of the Netanyahu–al-Sharaa conversation is expected to be presented Friday on the network’s “Friday Cabinet” program, together with additional disclosures from the documents.

{Matzav.com}