Israel is using the Druze community in southern Syria as a pretext to expand its influence beyond its borders while publicly framing the move as humanitarian assistance following the announcement of a financial aid package to the Syrian province of Suwayda on Friday.

Israel threatened to escalate attacks on Syrian government forces unless they withdrew from Sweida, a southern province dominated by the country’s Druse minority.

Since then, it has increased its demands on the new regime, insisting on a demilitarized zone south of Damascus and promising to intervene militarily if needed to protect the Druze minority who live ...