Israel's military launched airstrikes targeting a location near Syria's presidential palace in the capital, Damascus, early Friday. The strikes came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government warned it would intervene if Syrian authorities failed to protect the Druze minority.
"Israel struck last night near the presidential palace in Damascus," Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz. "This is a clear message to the Syrian regime: We will not allow [Syrian] forces to deploy south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community."
There was no immediate comment from Syria's authorities.
Sectarian clashes in Syria
The Israeli strike came after days of sectarian clashes between Sunni gunmen and members of the Druze community.
The violence was triggered after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticizing the Prophet Muhammad.
The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric, sparking anger among Sunni Muslims.
The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded.
The Druze killings come after a wave of massacres in March in which over 1,700 civilians, many from Syria's Alawite community, are reported to have been killed.
Who are the Druze?
The Druze adhere to a faith that is an offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam.
Most members of the sect live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, including in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The latest strikes mark the second time Israel has struck Syria in as many days, following through on a promise to defend the minority group. They reflect Israel's deep mistrust of the Sunni Islamists who toppled longtime dictator Bashar Assad in December, 2024.
Since Assad's ouster, Israel has seized ground in Syria's southwest, blown up much of the Syrian army's heavy weapons and vowed to protect the Druze.
