ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Israel said early Friday morning that its warplanes struck in the vicinity of the presidential palace in Damascus after warning the Syrian government not to deploy forces to Druze-majority areas in the south.
“A short while ago, warplanes raided the area surrounding the Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa Palace in Damascus,” Avichay Adraee, Arabic spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), said on X.
“This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” read a joint statement by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli media reported.
The Syrian government has yet to comment on the attack.
Israel has carried out several airstrikes in southern Syria in recent days in support of the Druze community who have come under attack by armed groups affiliated with the new administration.
The violence was reportedly triggered by an offensive audio clip about the Prophet Muhammad, initially attributed to a Druze cleric but later reported as fake by Druze leaders and Damascus.
The deadly violence has drawn international condemnation, including from France and Germany. Israel has repeatedly warned the administration of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that it will not remain idle if the Druze are attacked.
The United States on Thursday condemned the violence as “reprehensible and unacceptable” and urged Damascus to stop the fighting. “Sectarianism will only sink Syria and the region into chaos and more violence,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
Israel is home to about 150,000 Druze who mainly reside in Galilee, the Carmel Mountains, and the Golan Heights.
