Israel appoints Druze general as liaison officer to strengthen ties with Druze in the region

Israel has appointed a Druze officer, Ghassan Alian, as liaison officer to the Druze populations in Syria and Lebanon, under the authority of the northern command of the Israeli army, according to the Israeli news site Times of Israel.

Alian, who is completing nearly five years as head of COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories), a branch of Israel's Defense Ministry which controls all aspects of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian Territories, will be replaced in this position by Yoram Halevi, a former senior police official.

Born in 1972, Alian joined the Israeli army in 1990 and rose through its ranks. He was the first Druze military officer to be appointed head of the Golani Brigade in 2013, an infantry unit under the northern command. He was also active in several Israeli wars, including the July 2006 war against Hezbollah and in offensives against the Gaza Strip.

Israel has been seeking to build connections with Syria's Druze since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, in a country already mired by divisions, tension, and conflict.

Israel even launched airstrikes on Syrian government forces during clashes between Druze and Sunni Bedouins in Sweida in July 2025.

While some Syrian Druze figures say they are open to developing closer ties with the state that claims to defend them, others outright oppose such a move. Lebanese Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, for example, denounces any attempt at Israeli influence over the community.

There are around 150,000 Druze with Israeli citizenship, including those living on the occupied and annexed Golan Heights.

Israël nomme un général druze comme agent de liaison auprès des druzes de Syrie et du Liban