21 July 2025 | 12:33 CAT
3-minute read

Israeli airstrikes in Syria and Zuma’s shocking pivot on Western Sahara

Clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in Suwayda erupted into deadly violence last week, resulting in over 300 casualties. The Syrian military, accused by some of targeting Druze communities, intervened to restore order. But it was Israel’s sudden involvement—via airstrikes near Suwayda and Damascus—that raised both eyebrows and geopolitical alarms.

“The narrative of Israel has been from the time there was the overthrow of the Assad regime, there has been efforts by Israel to invade southern Syria,” said Hunter. “And it did so with the most amount of impunity.”

Israel claimed its intervention was to shield Druze civilians, a justification analysts call deeply flawed.

“To use the Druze as an excuse or as a proxy in their efforts to gain territorial mass” is not new, Hunter explained. The Druze—an ethnoreligious minority of around one million in southern Syria, with communities in Lebanon and Israel—have long lived in tense proximity with Sunni communities. Sectarian divisions in the region have historically been weaponised by external actors for strategic gains.

Behind the scenes, US diplomatic circles are growing weary of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s unchecked aggression.

“Bibi was acting like a madman and that he’s bombing everything all the time,” Hunter quoted a US official cited by Axios. The quick American-brokered ceasefire—reportedly pushed by Republican Senator Marco Rubio—suggests a shifting posture by Washington in the Syrian theatre.

Netanyahu agreed to the ceasefire on condition that Syrian forces withdraw from Suwayda. But the damage had already been done.

“It’s a political development that is absolutely heartbreaking from the loss of life perspective,” Hunter lamented, “but also a great window into a shift of geopolitics.”

Zuma and the Western Sahara u-turn

Former South African President Jacob Zuma travelled to Morocco, where he appeared alongside Moroccan officials and backed a controversial autonomy plan for Western Sahara—directly contradicting decades of ANC policy and his own prior stance.

“There was not a speech that he would deliver where he wouldn’t at the end… affirm the ANC and South Africa’s solidarity for the people of Western Sahara,” said Hunter.

South Africa has consistently supported the Sahrawi people in their struggle for independence from Moroccan occupation, a position rooted in its post-apartheid foreign policy. Zuma’s recent about-turn, complete with a South African flag as backdrop, appeared to many as a betrayal of that legacy.

The autonomy plan Zuma supported would grant limited self-governance to Western Sahara while preserving Moroccan sovereignty—a model critics say resembles apartheid-era Bantustans.

“This feels and seems very Bantustan-like,” Hunter remarked, echoing the outrage of ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, who called Zuma’s actions a sellout.

Hunter suggested that Zuma’s motives may be financial. “What is it in for Zuma to change his position and to join this lobby?” she asked. “I don’t see any apparent interest beyond money.”

This isn’t the first time Zuma has acted as a rogue diplomat. He reportedly attempted to represent South Africa in unofficial discussions with Belarus and Russia—raising alarms about the blurring of lines between party, state, and personal gain.

“This particular man would sell out his principles… to simply now align himself with Morocco,” Hunter said. “If there was ever a moment where people doubted the sincerity of Zuma… it is now.”

Listen to the Debrief Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.