Israel strikes Damascus

The Israeli military carried out an attack on a location near the Presidential Palace in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The strike came after days of escalating clashes between Druze groups and security forces loyal to the Syrian government.

A CLEAR MESSAGE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a joint statement regarding the attack. The statement said, "We carried out an attack on a target near the Presidential Palace in Damascus. We will not allow any threat against the Druze." The Tel Aviv administration emphasized that this attack was a "clear message" to the Syrian regime.

The statement also declared that no military force would be allowed to be deployed in the south of Damascus. Israel stated that any threat to the Druze community was unacceptable to them.

TENSIONS ESCALATING IN THE REGION

Israeli Defense Minister Katz, in a statement made the previous day, drew attention to the clashes between Druze groups and Syrian security forces, saying, "If attacks against the Druze in Syria continue, we will respond harshly."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also called on the international community to take action against Syria at a reception he attended, stating that the Druze must be protected.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE ATTACK?

Israel had carried out an attack on Syria on April 30 for a similar reason. At that time, it was reported that 5 Druze were injured in clashes between armed Druze groups and government-affiliated security forces in the south of the Syrian capital, Damascus, and that these individuals were taken to Israel for treatment.

The Syrian administration, for its part, announced that it had regained control in the Jaramana neighborhood and the Sahnaya district in the south of Damascus, where the clashes took place. According to local sources, the clashes initiated by some Druze armed groups in the region were suppressed by the intervention of the Syrian army.