Israel strikes near Syria’s presidential palace over threats to Druze community

TEL AVIV: Israel has confirmed it carried out an airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus. In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strike was a direct message to the Syrian regime, warning against the deployment of forces near southern Damascus and threats to the Druze community.

“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,” they said in the statement, Times of Israel reported.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also confirmed the strike near Ahmed Hussein al-Shara’s palace

In a post on X on Friday, IDF wrote, “A short time ago, warplanes attacked the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Shara’s palace in Damascus.”

לפני זמן קצר, מטוסי קרב תקפו במרחב הסמוך לארמונו של אחמד חוסיין א-שרע בדמשק

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 2, 2025

Meanwhile, the US also condemned the violence against the Druze community in Syria, calling it “reprehensible and unacceptable.”

In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “The recent violence and inflammatory rhetoric targeting members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable. The interim authorities must stop the fighting, hold perpetrators of violence and civilian harm accountable for their actions, and ensure the security of all Syrians.”

She added, “Sectarianism will only sink Syria and the region into chaos and more violence. We have seen that Syrians can solve their disputes peacefully through negotiations. We call for a representative future government that protects and integrates all of Syria’s communities, including ethnic and religious minorities.”

According to Al Jazeera, the clashes broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticising Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze scholar. However, scholar Marwan Kiwan stated in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims. (ANI)

Earlier this week, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, leader of the Druze community, condemned the violence in Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus as a “genocidal campaign” against the community in Syria.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the United Kingdom-based war monitor, stated that at least 101 people were killed in fighting between security forces, allied fighters and local Druze groups.

The SOHR said the death toll included 30 government loyalists, 21 Druze fighters and 10 civilians, including Sahnaya’s former mayor, Husam Warwar, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)