In the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s downfall, Syria stands at a critical crossroads. Yet while Syrians attempt to chart a path toward a unified and sovereign future, powerful regional actors are working behind the scenes to ensure their failure.
In recent weeks, violence has erupted across southern Syria, particularly in Suwayda and surrounding areas — traditionally home to Syria’s Druze population. Dozens of civilians have been killed, homes have been torched, and vital agricultural lands reduced to ashes in what residents describe as a “coordinated campaign of terror.”
Dark Box’s investigation reveals that this violence is no accident. Instead, it is the product of a calculated Israeli-UAE plot to play the Druze card as a means of sowing division and destabilizing post-Assad Syria.
Armed Druze Crossing from Israel
Multiple sources confirm that hundreds of heavily armed Druze fighters, many with prior Israeli coordination, crossed from Israel into Syria over the past month. These militants have been implicated in attacks on villages and civilians, claiming to act in the name of Druze protection but leaving devastation in their wake.
Israel’s facilitation of this cross-border infiltration follows a familiar strategy: leverage sectarian fault lines to fracture Syria from within and portray itself as a “protector” while fueling bloodshed.
UAE’s Role: Funding and Fueling Chaos
But Israel is not acting alone. The UAE has emerged as a key partner in this scheme.
According to well-placed regional sources, Emirati officials have funneled funds, weapons, and logistical support to these Druze militias. The objective is twofold:
1️⃣ Undermine Syria’s emerging transitional leadership by provoking sectarian violence that prevents national reconciliation.
2️⃣ Ensure that Syria remains dependent on external powers — particularly Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv — for security and political stability.
The UAE’s fingerprints are visible not only in funding but also in the political cover it provides in international forums, portraying this destabilization as “support for Druze communities” rather than what it is: a cynical effort to derail Syria’s reconstruction.
Forest Arson and Economic Sabotage
Parallel to these armed attacks, forest fires have destroyed vast agricultural areas in Suwayda, further impoverishing the region and driving wedges between communities. Witness testimonies suggest these acts of arson are being carried out by the same UAE-backed networks, designed to deprive communities of livelihoods and create new cycles of displacement and dependency.
A Broader Strategy of Divide and Rule
This is part of a wider Israeli-UAE regional strategy, seen previously in Libya, Yemen, and Sudan: weaponize ethnic and sectarian identities, back militias over states, and control resource-rich and strategic areas through proxy warfare.
In Syria’s case, the tragedy is especially acute: just as the country begins to breathe after a decade of dictatorship and war, foreign actors seek to keep it fragmented and weak.
Conclusion: Resistance to Foreign Manipulation
Syrians from across the political spectrum are already sounding the alarm. Civil society leaders, elders, and activists are calling for an end to these foreign-fueled militias and for unity in defending Syria’s sovereignty and social fabric.
Dark Box calls on international observers, journalists, and policymakers to recognize this Israeli-UAE plot for what it is: an effort to replace dictatorship with division, external domination, and endless war.
Syria deserves better — and its people’s right to determine their own future must not be hijacked by foreign agendas disguised as sectarian protection.
