Israel Tried to Protect Civilians in Syria; The Media Framed It as Committing Violent Attacks

Israel’s relationship with post-war Syria and its new Islamist government is complex, especially now as it works to secure its northern border and defend Syria’s Druze minority from attacks by pro-regime forces.

The Jewish State is certainly not the villain in this conflict, but you wouldn’t know that from reading much of the Western media.

Here’s how several outlets have framed Israel’s strikes in Syria and its efforts to protect the Druze community since Wednesday.

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So you’d think the media might mention that when Israel steps in to help.

Instead, @IrishTimes goes with:

 “Why has Israel stepped up its attacks on Syria?”
Not: “Why is Israel defending Syria’s Druze minority from massacre?” pic.twitter.com/Bf6zLwp9Ae

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 17, 2025

Instead of stating the reason behind Israel’s strikes in Syria in the headline, The Irish Times decided to make Israel look like it was waging war on Syria. And analysts like Dominic Waghorn at Sky News call it a “military hegemon.”

Let’s talk about Israel as a hegemonic military power in the Middle East.

It isn’t good journalism on Sky News’ part to tell half the story, such as leaving out the parts when Israel is the victim, and when Israel defends its very legitimate interests, whether they are security-related or otherwise.

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Let’s be clear: Israel didn’t start this. Assad’s regime did. The new regime has kept going.

Israel is defending its own citizens while also trying to stop the slaughter of Druze civilians.

Context matters. pic.twitter.com/O1QyNHQ5m8

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 17, 2025

“Turns on the new Syria regime?” When did this new regime gain Israel’s trust? The two bordering countries have been enemy states with zero diplomatic relations and hostilities for decades.

But of course, The Telegraph leaves out crucial context.

The Syrian regime, promising to protect its Druze minority, is not living up to that promise. Israel has a responsibility to protect its own borders and civilians, including its Druze community on the border with Syria, as well as a loyalty to the Druze community as a whole, including those living in southern Syria.

Israel is actually trying to do something to stop the massacre and the clashes against the Druze. How is Israel suddenly framed as responsible for a war it didn’t start?

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And of course, @latimes frames it like Israeli commanders just decided to bomb Damascus out of the blue.

No context. No mention of Druze massacres in the headline.

Just Israel, cast as the aggressor. pic.twitter.com/xlFQu5dDkD

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 17, 2025

Speaking of missing context, The LA Times erases the Druze massacres from the headline completely. Israel is once again cast as an unhinged, bloodthirsty “military hegemon” that bombs countries to create chaos and commit genocide on civilians.

Because, why not ignore pro-regime forces pillaging through Druze neighborhoods to humiliate and kill Druze citizens of Syria? If you reframe the focus on Israel and twist the truth to fit an anti-Israel narrative, it’s good to go.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.

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