Israel provides medical aid to Syrian refugees to protect Druze

Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon admitted Monday that Israel provides Syrian rebels with medical aid as they fight the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, in exchange for the safety of the Syrian Druze community.

Ya'alon, briefing Israeli diplomatic reporters Monday in Tel Aviv, said Israel provides humanitarian aid to Syrian rebels who want to topple Assad's regime on the condition that they do not harm the Druze in Syria.

The Druze is a small Arab sect in the Middle East, based primarily in Lebanon, Syria and Israel, who divorced Islam in the 11th century. There are nearly 140,000 Druze living in Israel, maintaining family and cultural ties with their fellow Syrians and Lebanese.

"We gave them (the rebels) aid according to the following two conditions: not to get too close to the border fence and not to harm the Druze in Syria," Ya'alon told Israeli reporters Monday, according to the Walla! news website.

He said the aid includes Israeli medical assistance to Syrian rebels, a few presumably members of the al-Nusra front, Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, which recently killed 20 Druze in Syria, triggering concerns of a potential massacre of Syrian Druze.

According to figures from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), 1,000 Syrians who reached the Israeli border have been treated and moved to Israeli hospitals during the four years of the Syrian civil war.

These statements come amid growing concerns for the fate of the Druze community in Syria, particularly the 140,000 Druze living in Israel who have family and friends in Syria.

They staged protests and urged Israeli leaders to advocate for the protection of their Syrian brethren to "prevent a massacre."

The Druze also accused Israel of cooperating with al-Nusra front, charges which were not met by an official Israeli response.

Last week, a mob of Israeli Druze killed an injured Syrian fighter in the Golan Heights, believing him to be a member of the al-Nusra front, and attacked an IDF staff member in what Israeli media described as a "lynching."

Ya'alon slammed the attack Monday, calling it "irresponsible," adding that the individual killed in the attack was not a member of the al-Nusra front, and that his death would increase calls for revenge.

He also stressed that Israel's policy is not to get involved in the Syrian civil war.

In addition, he praised the leadership of the Druze in Israel, who appeased the community, blaming the attack on irresponsible political factors within the community.

Israeli Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, recently said that Israel's military, if necessary, would react in the vicinity of the Syrian border to prevent a massacre of Druze refugees in Syria.

Last month, the Hebrew Walla! news website reported that Israel contacted world powers, the United Nations and the International Red Cross, aiming to create a "safe zone" specifically designated for Druze refugees along the border.