Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the strikes are a warning against violence toward the Druze community
Syrian security forces patrol the streets in Sahnaya, Syria, May 1, 2025. © Moawia Atrash / picture alliance / Getty Images
Israel said on Friday that it conducted airstrikes near the presidential compound in Syria, in response to violence against the Druze minority.
“A short while ago, warplanes attacked the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa’s palace in Damascus,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a brief statement.
Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, led a coalition of Islamist forces that toppled President Bashar Assad in December 2024. The rapid seizure of the capital and other cities in western Syria was accompanied by massacres of Druze, Christians, and Assad loyalists.
According to Al Jazeera, clashes erupted on Monday in the towns of Jaramana and Sahnaya south of Damascus after an audio clip circulated on social media in which a man criticized the Prophet Mohammed. The recording was attributed to a Druze scholar, who has denied responsibility.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement on Friday, describing the IDF strikes as “a clear message to the Syrian regime.” They added: “We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.”
Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA, reported on Thursday that order had been restored in Sahnaya following the deployment of security forces. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned what it called “attempts to internationalize the situation,” and vowed to protect the Druze population.
The Druze are a minority religious group that follows an offshoot of Islam and make up around 3% of Syria’s population. Some Druze in southern Syria have reportedly asked for Israeli protection, calling it the “lesser evil.”
The IDF invaded southwestern Syria shortly after Assad’s downfall in December, occupying several towns beyond the Golan Heights, including Quneitra.