According to the watchdog, the incitement includes explicit antisemitic language and conspiracy theories portraying Syrian Druze as collaborators with Israel.
Amid recent violent unrest in southern Syria’s Sweida province, a new report by the watchdog group CyberWell has revealed a surge in online incitement targeting the country’s Druze minority, with over 45 million views recorded on inciting posts on the social media platform X/Twitter in just one week.
According to the report, published this week, the incitement includes explicit antisemitic language and conspiracy theories portraying Syrian Druze as collaborators with Israel.
CyberWell said that the rhetoric often mirrors traditional antisemitic tropes – this time directed at a non-Jewish group due to its perceived ties to the Jewish state.
The organization documented a sharp rise in derogatory and violent language against the Druze community between July 13-20.
Posts included slurs such as “Zionist dogs,” accusations of espionage, and dehumanizing comparisons to animals.
The Druze flag decorated with a Star of David can be seen in the Druze town of Daliat al-Karmel, northern Israel August 2, 2018 (credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
Hashtags in Arabic like “The Druze are agents of Israel” were used in thousands of posts, gaining massive traction.
One term that appeared in 900 posts was “Jewlani,” a blend of a Syrian leader’s name and the English word “Jew,” used to suggest collaboration with Israel. CyberWell noted that more than 5,700 posts included the hashtag accusing Druze of working for Israel, garnering over 4 million views. Hundreds of tweets also labeled Druze individuals “Zionist dogs,” the report said.
During the reporting period, daily posts using terms like “Druze” and “Greater Israel” averaged 1,016 per day—a 3,529% increase compared to the previous six months. On July 17 and 18, activity spiked to 3,700 posts per day, a staggering 13,000% increase from the norm.
CyberWell stated that this level of incitement was not limited to political discourse but constituted what it called “conspiratorial antisemitic rhetoric,” with the Druze depicted as proxies for advancing the idea of Greater Israel.
Escalating pattern since April
The organization said the trend of anti-Druze incitement had already been on the rise since April 2025, following a visit to Israel by a delegation of Syrian Druze. Despite raising the alarm with major social media platforms at the time, CyberWell claims that most of the inciting content was not removed.
The report frames the trend within the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism, which includes conspiracies that target non-Jews based on their real or perceived ties to Jews or Israel.
Call for urgent action
In response to the findings, CyberWell CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor issued a direct appeal to social media companies to address what she described as a “modern plague of antisemitism.”
“We are witnessing a disturbing escalation in violent rhetoric against the Druze community in Syria, which has a dangerous and direct impact on the community,” Montemayor said.
“Antisemitic incitement and rhetoric create a dangerous foundation for legitimizing attacks on minorities perceived as supporters of Israel. The responsibility lies with social media companies. They must recognize the modern plague of antisemitism and act decisively to stop it. Partial or inconsistent enforcement costs lives.”
Deadly consequences of online hate
CyberWell cited a particularly chilling example of the potential real-world impact of unchecked online incitement.
In July 2024, a video posted to Instagram urging attacks on Druze—referred to as “Zionists” in the post—remained online in the days leading up to a terrorist attack in Majdal Shams, where 12 Druze children, all Israeli citizens, were killed.
The organization concluded that its data serves not only as a warning but as evidence that digital hate speech, particularly in conflict zones, can fuel violence.
“CyberWell demands not only the removal of dangerous content,” the report said, “but the implementation of a clear, zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitic discourse—of any kind, and against any group.”