Israel says it attacks near the Syrian Palace near violence in the Druze area

Israel said its fighter jets bombed an area next to the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday morning, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to protect the religious minority of Druze following a deadly sectarian violence.

Netanyahu said the strike was a “clear message to the Syrian regime” that Israel “is not allowed to deploy troops in southern Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.”

Late Friday, the IDF confirmed that it launched an air strike that attacked military targets. Syrian media reported explosions in rural areas north of Damascus and near Hama City.

The Syrian president said this strongly condemned the strikes, saying they were “dangerous escalations” aimed at destabilizing Syria.

Israel also launched a strike south of Damascus on Wednesday during a clash between Druze gunmen, security forces and Allied Sunni Islamic fighters.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the latest Israeli bombing, calling it a “violation of Syria’s sovereignty.”

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Guterres called on Israel to stop the attack and respect Syria’s “unity, territorial integrity and its independence.”

Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Druz, condemned the violence on Thursday as an “unreasonable genocide movement” targeting his community and called for “international forces to maintain peace” to intervene.

Other Druze religious leaders issued a statement earlier Friday confirming what they said was the community’s “commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a country without conflict,” according to the Associated Press.

They also reportedly said the state should be activated in Suweida-Damascus province and that authorities should control the Suweida-Damascus road.

The Syrian government said it has deployed security forces to the Druze area to combat “illegal groups” and accused of inciting conflict.

At least 109 people were killed in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, a small town in the southern suburb of Damascus, mainly the provinces of Jaramana and Suweida, the suburbs of Druze Jaramana, Suweida, Druze Real.

It said that including 11 Druze civilians and 26 Druze fighters, another 42 Druze men were shot dead by security forces in a “security force” from Suweida to Damascus on Wednesday. It said thirty members of General Security Services and Allied combatants were also killed.

Istanbul-based Syrian TV reported that Israeli air strikes near the presidential palace appeared to target the air zone and there were no reports of casualties or material damage.

Israel’s defense minister issued a statement saying that when the Syrian president wakes up and sees the results, he will “understand well Israel’s determination to prevent harm to Druze in Syria.”

“This is [Sharaa’s] The obligation to protect Druze in the suburbs of Damascus is to protect Druze from jihad attackers and to allow thousands of Druzes to defend themselves rather than sending jihadism to the community. ”

“Yesterday Israeli occupation condemned the presidential palace with the strongest condemnation, which constitutes a dangerous escalation of state institutions and national sovereignty,” the Syrian president said in a statement issued on Friday afternoon.

It added: “This reprehensible attack reflects the continuation of reckless movements that seek to undermine the country and exacerbate the security crisis.”

The president also called on the international community to stand in the face of attacks in Syria and said it violated international law.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Hamoud al-Hinawi, the Druze religious leader at Suweida, told the BBC that the situation is “still tense” in the affected areas.

“What is happening now is a sectarian goal of extremist factors [and] Protecting civilians is the responsibility of the state. ” he said.

“As long as the national government is protecting its citizens and sticking to the commitment to rebuilding modern Syria, we will support the rule of law and national sovereignty in Syria.”

Asked if he supports Israeli intervention, Sheikh Hinawi said: “I am for or against Israel, it is not a matter of our life and death, and if we are under attack, we will have all the right to defend ourselves.”

On Thursday, members of the security forces deployed in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya told the BBC that they “did not target any sect but rather deal with armed groups acting outside the law, regardless of their religious beliefs.”

Sectarian violence erupted in Jaramana after a man insulted the Prophet Muhammad on social media and irritated Sunni Muslims on Monday night. This was attributed to Rev. Druze, but he denied any responsibility. The Ministry of Home Affairs also said that a preliminary investigation has cleared him.

The Druze faith is a branch of Shia Islam with its unique identity and beliefs. Its approximately one million followers live in Syria, where they make up about 3% of the population, while communities in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights account for smaller communities.

Syria’s transitional president Ahmed Al-Sharaa promised that since his Sunni Islamic group led the rebel offensive, he would protect the country’s numerous religions and ethnic minorities since 13 years after the civil war was destroyed, 14 years after the civil war was destroyed.

However, during a conflict between the New Security Forces and Assad loyalists, in March, the mass killing of hundreds of civilians among Assad minority Alawi sects shocked the fear among ethnic minority communities.

In February, the Israeli Prime Minister warned that he would not “tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria”.

Netanyahu also demanded a complete demilitarization of Suveda and two other southern provinces, saying Israel regards Shara’s Sunni Islamic group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a threat. HTS is a former Al Qaeda affiliate and is still designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Over the past four months, the Israeli military has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria to destroy the country’s military assets. It also sent troops into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as well as several adjacent areas and the non-surveillance buffer zones between the tops of Mount Hemon.