The latest wave of sectarian violence in Syria’s Suwayda region has exposed not only the fragility of intercommunal relations in southern Syria but also the dangerous ways online hate speech can mirror — and magnify — real-world conflict. As fighting escalates between Druze residents and Bedouin tribes, accompanied by horrifying reports of kidnappings, targeted killings, and religious humiliation, CyberWell’s research reveal a darker digital undercurrent: a dramatic spike in antisemitic and anti-Druze hate speech online.
What’s happening on the ground is deeply concerning. What’s happening online is also urgent — and dangerous.
The Suwayda Flashpoint and Regional Reverberations
Violence in the Druze-majority Suwayda province was sparked by the assault of a local merchant by Bedouin tribesmen. But the unrest quickly spiraled into something far more severe: retaliatory killings, destruction of Druze religious sites, and grotesque acts like the forced shaving of Druze sheikhs’ beards—a grave cultural insult.
Israel has responded with airstrikes targeting Syrian military positions, citing the protection of the Druze minority. Simultaneously, hundreds of Israeli Druze reportedly crossed into Syria, drawn by familial and communal ties, amplifying the regional stakes of the conflict.
The Digital Echo Chamber of Hate
As the violence unfolded on the ground, CyberWell recorded a corresponding increase in online hate speech — driven by conspiracy theories, ethnic slurs, and calls for violence. This content is disturbingly familiar, recycling antisemitic tropes that have long been used to incite violence against Jews — and now redirecting them toward the Druze.
Antisemitic Narratives Identified
“Greater Israel” Conspiracy Theory (as applied to the Druze in Syria)
This narrative falsely claims that Israel and Jews collectively are secretly working to expand Israel’s borders to create a “Greater Israel,” encompassing parts of neighboring countries including Syria. When applied to the Druze, especially those in southern Syria (e.g., in Suwayda or near the Golan Heights), this conspiracy accuses them of collaborating with the Jews as part of this alleged expansionist project, as seen in the following four examples:
In this narrative, the Druze are depicted not as autonomous actors but as agents or allies of the Jews and Israel. Any attempts by Druze communities to defend themselves or assert local autonomy are portrayed as being orchestrated or manipulated by Israel or the Jewish people, rather than as independent or legitimate actions. Even humanitarian or political support that Israel extends to Syrian Druze is reinterpreted as part of a larger conspiracy, reinforcing this narrative of collusion.
According to social listening tools used by the CyberWell team, the daily average of the appearance of the terms “Greater Israel” + “Druze” together appeared in 28 posts per day until July 12, 2025, the start of the event. From July 13 to July 20, 2025, the daily average skyrocketed to 1,016 posts per day, an increase of 3,529%. Moreover, on July 17, the single biggest daily spike, the number of posts with these keywords reached 3,700. This is an increase of 13,114%.
At its core, this portrayal is deeply antisemitic. It recycles longstanding tropes about Jewish global domination and secretive conspiracies, echoing dangerous myths that have fueled prejudice and violence throughout history. This not only distorts reality but also stokes hostility toward the Druze, framing them as participants in a mythical Jewish imperialist project and thus making them targets of suspicion and hate.
“Jewlani” Puppet Allegation
This narrative falsely alleges that Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the President of Syria, is a puppet of the Jews (often mockingly nicknamed “Jewlani” to insinuate Jewish ties). When combined with attacks on the Druze, this claim suggests that both al-Julani and the Druze are part of a wider Jewish plot, as presented in the five examples, below.
The slur “Jewlani” was featured during the week of escalation (between July 13–20, 2025) in 900 posts, generating 24K engagements and an alarming 40.7M reach. This marks an enormous increase from the average number of posts including these keywords, which was only 2 posts over the previous 6 months. That number jumped to 112 posts per day during the timeframe of the massacre. This is an increase of 5,500%. A July 16, 2025 spike of 227 posts marked an increase of 11,250%.
“The Druze Deserve It” | Punishment for Siding with the Jews
This narrative justifies violence or discrimination against the Druze by accusing them of aligning with Israel or the Jews. It portrays any actual or perceived cooperation between Druze communities and Israel (e.g., Golan Druze holding Israeli citizenship, Druze serving in the IDF, or political neutrality in Syria) as betrayal warranting punishment, as illustrated in the three examples below:
The Arabic slur “Zionist Dogs” directed at Druze yielded 300+ results, 543 engagements, and a 26K reach. The hashtag # إسرائيل_عمالء_الدروز”) The Druze are Israeli spies”) amassed 5.7K posts, 17.1K engagements, and a 4.2M reach.
This hashtag above is particularly dangerous because it openly promotes incitement and hate. In some hostile narratives, the Druze community is unfairly targeted—both in speech and in violence—because of a supposed “pro-Israel” stance. Even when the Druze try to remain neutral or act pragmatically in Syria’s complex conflicts, their position is twisted into an accusation of loyalty to Israel. As a result, attacks on Druze communities are often framed as rightful punishment for allegedly “siding with the Jews.”
This kind of thinking is rooted in antisemitism. It wrongly blames an entire religious minority for the choices of others or for making practical decisions to survive in a dangerous environment. It also mirrors old antisemitic claims that victims of violence somehow deserved it—that they “brought it upon themselves.” Often, this hostility mixes antisemitic ideas with hatred toward the Druze, using both forms of prejudice to stir up fear, deny their rights, and justify acts of discrimination or violence.
These trends aren’t isolated. They represent a broader ecosystem of digital hate that closely mirrors long-documented patterns of antisemitism.
Hate that Spills Across Communities
CyberWell’s research has consistently shown that antisemitism is not confined to attacks on Jews alone. Hate frequently spills over to other communities perceived as allies of Jews or Israel. The Druze—an ethnoreligious minority with significant populations in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel — have become a frequent target of this redirected hate.
Earlier this year, CyberWell flagged rising online incitement against the Druze following a high-profile visit by Druze religious leaders from Syria to Israel in April 2025. That visit coincided with an uptick in attacks on Druze villages and the spread of disinformation, such as a fabricated audio recording falsely claiming a Druze sheikh insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
Just months before that, CyberWell documented a violent incitement video on Meta’s Instagram — calling for attacks on the Druze, disguised as anti-Zionist rhetoric. That video remained online in the days leading up to the tragic July 2024 missile attack in Majdal Shams, exactly one year ago this week, which killed 12 Druze children. Despite reporting the video through proper channels, it remained live—highlighting ongoing failures in content moderation.
Recurring Themes: Hate by Another Name
The same rhetorical patterns keep appearing in both antisemitic and anti-Druze content:
A Call for Urgent Action
These patterns aren’t just digital noise. They are active permission structures — normalizing hate, excusing violence, and endangering communities.
CyberWell’s data shows how these narratives not only echo traditional antisemitic tropes, but also increasingly target the Druze as scapegoats. As the IHRA definition of antisemitism underscores, antisemitic discourse and conspiracy theories — even when directed at non-Jews — are considered expressions of antisemitism. The case of the Druze community exemplifies this in tragic detail.
CyberWell remains committed to tracking the ways in which antisemitism mutates and metastasizes, targeting Jews or their allies. The Druze deserve protection not only from physical violence but also from the digital rhetoric that so often precedes and encourages it.
As we have tragically seen on our screens, the ramifications of online hate are not theoretical. They are playing out, in real time, in the hills of Suwayda and on screens around the world.
