Sheikh Tarif thanked the Prime Minister for his directive to act decisively to protect the Druze in Syria in recent days, including his decision last night to bomb the presidential palace complex in Damascus.

Sheikh Tarif said that the strong actions ordered by the Prime Minister sent a deterrent message to the Syrian regime regarding Israel's commitment to the Druze community in Syria.

The Prime Minister told the Sheikh that he expects the Druze community to respect the law in Israel, as it normally does, and not to act in any way against other citizens or against members of the security forces.

The Prime Minister told the Sheikh that Israel is a state of law and that we must all respect this, and that this is a fundamental demand that cannot be compromised.

The Sheikh agreed with the Prime Minister and replied that all the community leaders condemned manifestations of violence and violations of the law that came from the community, and that the Druze community would continue to respect the law in the country.

NEWSRAEL: The comments about "keeping the law" refer to Druze youth demonstrating on the highways and reports that some had gone into Syria to aid the Druze there.