Israel strikes near Damascus amid vows to protect Syrian druze
Israel conducted an attack near the presidential palace in Damascus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced. He also reiterated the promise that Israel will protect the Druze community in Syria.
What do you need to know?
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported that Israeli forces attacked a target near the presidential palace in Damascus. The attack took place on Thursday evening.
- Israel has committed to protecting the Druze community in Syria.
- Syrian authorities have not yet responded to the Israeli attack.
Why is Israel attacking in Syria?
The Israeli attack in Damascus is part of a broader strategy to defend the Druze community in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised that Israel will continue efforts to protect this minority. The Israeli army confirmed that fighter jets attacked the area around the presidential palace but did not disclose what exactly was targeted.
What are the consequences for the Druze community?
On the night from Monday to Tuesday in Jaramanah, a city near Damascus, Druze militia clashed with Syrian security forces. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), government forces launched an attack on the predominantly Druze-populated Jaramanah after a message attributed to the Druze, deemed blasphemous against Islam, circulated on social media.
According to the SOHR, at least 73 people have been killed since Monday in clashes between forces affiliated with the Islamist government and fighters from the Druze minority in Syria.
The spiritual leader of Syrian Druze, Hikmat al-Hijri, described the attacks on Thursday as an unjustified "genocidal campaign" targeting civilians and called for international intervention. He emphasised that he no longer trusts the Syrian government.
Will the situation in Syria calm down?
The Israeli army carried out a strike on Wednesday against an "extremist group" preparing to attack the Druze in Sahnaya. Israel considers the new Syrian government a threat. During the power transition in Damascus, it took control of areas around the Golan Heights, which have been under occupation for 50 years, and has since conducted a series of attacks on Syrian forces.
Israel has simultaneously made several gestures towards the Syrian Druze, announced that it extends its protection to them, and threatened attacks on the government side in case of further violence against this minority. Druze leaders in Syria, however, have consistently affirmed their commitment to state unity and rejected Israel's threats.
The Druze are a minority living in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, practising a religion derived from Islam but also incorporating elements of Christianity and other beliefs. There are about one million Druze in the Middle East, with approximately 700,000 in Syria. Israeli Druze are known for their loyalty to their country.
