Benjamin Netanyahu says strikes intended to deter Syria’s new leadership from any hostile move against the Druze Syria’s new rulers have angrily denounced raids launched by Israel’s air force against unidentified targets near the presidential palace in Damascus Israeli officials said the attacks were intended to send a message to the Syrian government after days of bloody clashes near Damascus between pro-government militia forces and fighters from the Druze minority sect said in a joint statement that the attack early on Friday was intended to deter the country’s new leadership from any hostile move against the Druze “This is a clear message to the Syrian regime We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” the statement said The Israeli army confirmed in a statement that fighter jets struck near to the area of the palace of the president an Israeli fighter jet killed four civilians in another strike on Kanaker a town south-west of the Druze-majority province Sweida The strike came after repeated statements by a spokesperson for the Israeli military that it was deployed in southern Syria to prevent the entry of “enemy forces” into Druze villages Israel has said it will protect the Druze religious minority in Syria a declaration that most Druze leaders have rebuffed The government in Damascus took power after ousting Bashar al-Assad in December last year and is dominated by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which has its roots in the al-Qaida jihadist network Though Syria’s new rulers have promised inclusive rule in the multi-confessional they face pressures from extremists within their own ranks Syria’s presidency called the strike “a dangerous escalation against state institutions and its sovereignty” and accused Israel of destabilising the country The clashes broke out on Tuesday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man making derogatory comments about the prophet Muhammad one of the three Syrian Druze spiritual leaders which is mostly made up of radical Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of what he called an “unjustified genocidal attack” on the minority community Hijri released a statement calling for international protection for the Druze in southern Syria asking international forces to “intervene immediately” The two other Syrian Druze religious leaders chose to negotiate with Damascus directly and rejected calls for international intervention in Syria said 56 people in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana were killed including local armed fighters and security forces A boy looks a destroyed vehicle in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya near Damascus after the clashes Photograph: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria largely in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed in 1981 The Syrian government has denied that any of its security forces were involved in the clashes with the Druze which followed a wave of massacres in March when security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians mostly from Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite community according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as “the solid foundation for any process of stability or revival” only leads to further deterioration and division,” he wrote on X Since the fall of Assad’s regime in December, Israel has launched repeated airstrikes on Syria, destroying military hardware and stockpiles, in what it says is defence of the Druze. Israel has also sent troops to what was a demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights, on Syria’s south-west border with Israel, seizing key strategic terrain where Syrian troops were once deployed. Read moreAnalysts in Israel say the strategy aims to undermine the new Syrian government while also protecting and so co-opting a potential proxy ally within the country. The strategy is controversial, however, with some officials arguing that a stable Syria would better serve Israel’s interests. The Syrian president, Sharaa, told a visiting US congressman last week that Damascus wanted to normalise ties with Israel. Protesters from the Druze community in Israel temporarily blocked roads on Thursday night and called for the Israeli government to protect the Druze community in Syria. Underlining the regional dimension of the conflicts involving Israel, Qatar, a main backer of Syria’s new rulers, called Friday’s Israeli airstrike “blatant aggression against the sovereignty” of the country, while warning alarms sounded across much of northern Israel on Friday before air defence systems intercepted a missile that military officials said had been launched from Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza 18 months ago. the Druze in Israel have shed blood alongside the Jewish majority and formed a brotherly covenant But now that their actual brothers in Syria are being killed At least 600 Syrian Druze from Sahnaya and Jaramana in the outskirts of Damascus have fled to the town of Hader and its surrounding villages in southern Syria, i24NEWS learned on Sunday, in light of escalating violence against the local Druze community. The area of Hader, in the Quneitra Governorate, is currently under IDF control as part of the Israeli military presence in southwest Syria since the fall of the Assad regime. The source said there is much disappointment at the current Israeli response to the violence against Syrian Druze, which was committed by elements affiliated with the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.  Escalating violence in Syria threatens Druze communityDespite Israel facilitating the provision of basic supplies and aid to Druze communities in Syria, they expect to see Israel do more to stop the violence against the Druze. "For decades, the Druze in Israel have shed blood alongside the Jewish majority and formed a brotherly covenant. But now that their actual brothers in Syria are being killed, Israel remains silent. We feel abandoned by the Israeli government," the source said.  "We want to see Israel send President al-Sharaa a direct message, or warning, to stop the violence against us. As far as we know, no such message has been sent from Israel." Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world The Israel Defense Forces said in a post on Telegram on Friday that its fighter jets hit an area close to the People’s Palace which is perched on a hill overlooking Damascus There were no reports of casualties or damage Israel escalated its military campaign in Syria by launching airstrikes in the Damascus countryside and issuing threats against the Syrian leadership citing unrest in Druze-populated districts earlier this week which Syria said killed civilians including Druze residents came Thursday after violence erupted Tuesday and Wednesday in the Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and Jaramana areas near Damascus the clashes were sparked by a leaked audio message attributed to a Druze resident that included alleged insults against Prophet Muhammad Israel’s prime minister and defense minister called the airstrikes a “warning operation” to deter harm against the Druze community Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged international action to “protect minorities in Syria” from “the regime and its terrorist gangs.” Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a public threat: “If the harm to the Druze in Syria does not stop Syria denounced the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said the country must resolve internal issues “through dialogue among its communities,” warning against foreign intervention The General Security Directorate said calm was restored in affected areas after talks with local leaders It announced a ceasefire and a plan to collect weapons in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Druze soldiers in the Israeli army had appealed to top officials to “intervene” to protect their families across the border Syrian authorities said the violence had been stoked by “outlaws” seeking to create sectarian tensions Israeli strikes Wednesday reportedly targeted areas around Ashrafiyat Sahnaya said the strikes resulted in civilian casualties It marks one of the latest Israeli attacks inside Syrian territory Tel Aviv has intensified air raids across the country despite there being no threats from the Syrian administration Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967 Following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad government in December Israel declared the 1974 disengagement agreement void and seized control of the former demilitarized zone Tensions remain high as international concern grows because of Israeli actions under the stated aim of protecting minorities particularly during the second year of genocide in Gaza Create an account for a 7-day trial to access this article and all of AL-Monitor For subscription inquiries, please contact subscription.support@al-monitor.com For all other inquiries, please use contactus@al-monitor.com as French forces bombarded Damascus in the final months of World War II a rumor swept through the city’s Kurdish quarter on the slopes of Mount Qasioun: The Syrian government had collapsed and President Shukri al-Quwatli had fled the capital and some even raised the Kurdish tricolor flag — a symbol devised in 1920 by the Istanbul-based Society for the Rise of Kurdistan Inspired by the short-lived Kingdom of Kurdistan (1921-1925) in Sulaymaniyah the Kurds in Syria saw this as an opportunity for greater freedom Yet the Syrian authorities were quick to respond Foreign Minister Jamil Mardam Bey rushed to the Kurdish neighborhood Addressing the Kurds as “the glorious sons of Saladin,” he invoked the legacy of the 12th-century Kurdish sultan who had fought against the Crusaders and was buried near Damascus’ Great Umayyad Mosque but Kurdish separatism would resurface at various points throughout the rest of the 20th century Fast forward to the outbreak of the Syrian revolt against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 when young Kurds took the initiative once again They raised their flag in Kurdish areas east of the Euphrates River they would finally be able to revive their ancestral dream Syrian Kurds numbered approximately 2.5 million — 10% of the total population of Syria and 5% of the total Kurdish population worldwide Assad did not send his foreign minister to soothe their fears and talk to them form the militia that has now grown into a full-fledged army known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Syrian Kurds carved out their own autonomous region Five months after the toppling of Assad in December 2024 will hear nothing of Kurdish autonomy or statehood But it is equally clear that he does not want to fight the Kurds seeing that as an uphill battle that will damage his newly established revolutionary legitimacy and turn the West against him al-Sharaa has opted for a political approach reaching an agreement with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi on March 10 which calls for a merger of the latter’s forces with those of the newly established Syrian army The accord also promises to restore oil wells presently under Kurdish control to the authority of the Syrian government in Damascus while guaranteeing that state revenues are spent generously on the Kurdish territories This agreement is unlikely to solve Syria’s “Kurdish question,” which has dominated relations between Syrian Arabs and the country’s Kurdish minority Many Kurds have held positions of authority in Syria both before and after the country’s independence in 1946 Some have attained senior political positions and become wealthy But as the Ottoman period gave way to the modern era questions about the Kurdish minority’s place in Syria came to the fore the nationalist struggle that defined the 20th century and in Syrian Kurds being full citizens inside a Syrian republic it lay in Kurdish nationalism and pursuit of a state of their own This duality has existed within some of the most prominent Kurdish families The most notable Kurd of the early 20th century was Abdul Rahman Pasha al-Yusuf an Ottoman aristocrat and emir of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca since the 1890s Hailing from a Kurdish family originally from Diyarbakir he was among the most powerful men under Sultan Abdulhamid although he never assumed an official position at the court in Istanbul owning the entire shore of Lake Tiberias in Palestine; three villages in al-Ghouta the agricultural belt around Damascus; five villages in the countryside of Idlib; and 25 in the Golan Heights he was elected as a legislator for Damascus in the country’s first parliament The most prominent Kurdish family in Syrian politics which immigrated to the central city of Hama at the turn of the 18th century coming from Ayn Arab in northern Syria and Urfa in southeastern Turkey took part in the armed rebellion against the French in the 1920s served as a lawmaker for Hama in the Syrian parliament in the 1930s Yet the member of this large and illustrious family who had the most central role in the upheavals of the Cold War era was Husni al-Barazi who would go from agitator to prime minister His biography is a good example of the complex relationship between Syrian and Kurdish nationalism Barazi was among the early founders of the secret anti-Ottoman al-Fatat Society He was minister of the interior under the French Mandate only to be arrested for his connection to Syrian rebels staging a military uprising against the French from Jabal al-Druze He then served as prime minister from April 1942 to January 1943 and also established the Al-Nass newspaper in Damascus which gained widespread notoriety during the Cold War for being staunchly anti-Soviet and pro-American the Soviet Union and Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser His words were too much for Syrian intelligence: In 1957 the pro-Nasser head of military intelligence ordered the closure of Al-Nass and the arrest of Barazi on charges of “high treason.” The ex-premier happened to be in Turkey when this happened and spent the remainder of his years between Istanbul and Beirut where he died in 1975 without ever having returned to Syria Barazi stands as an example of the tension between Arab and Kurdish nationalism During his active years in Syrian politics always portraying himself as a Syrian and Arab nationalist But this identity did not seem to survive in exile for when he sat down with professor Yusuf Ibish of the American University of Beirut in the late 1960s he showed clear sympathy for the Kurdish nationalist movement and for the Barzani clan that was then leading its rebels against the Baath Party regime in Iraq This same duality of Arabism and Kurdish nationalism can also be seen in the life of Barazi’s cousin a brilliant legal mind with a doctorate in international law from the University of Lyon Muhsen al-Barazi was appointed bureau chief to President Quwatli in 1943 also acting as his speechwriter and adviser and as secretary-general of the Syrian presidency he served as minister of education in 1941 and then as minister of interior lobbied on behalf of another fellow Kurd named Husni al-Zaim a discharged military officer who was struggling to join the newly formed Syrian army Zaim was a Damascene Kurd who had served in the French Army of the Levant during the mandate but had been arrested and dismissed after charges of embezzlement during World War II Barazi talked Quwatli into returning Zaim to uniform service making him commander of military police and then chief of staff of the Syrian army during the Palestine War of 1948 It was in that capacity that Zaim launched his coup d’etat Muhsen al-Barazi helped Zaim draft a new constitution and following Syria’s second coup just months later That is just about all that Syrian history books say about him with the exception of a very interesting and forgotten passage in the 1977 memoirs of Munir al-Rayyes Rayyes was a hard-line Arab nationalist and future supporter of Nasser he claims that Muhsin al-Barazi had been secretary of the secret Kurdish society and credited with carrying out the 1930 Ararat rebellion in eastern Turkey Rayyes claims that Barazi’s “Syrianism” and closeness to Quwatli were merely cover for his true intentions which included “ceding half of Syria and three-quarters of Iraq in order to create Greater Kurdistan.” Rayyes adds that Barazi had penned all of Xoybun’s literature serving as the “secret philosopher” of the Kurdish nationalist movement in Syria The hard-boiled journalist wrote to Quwatli to complain and then paid him a personal visit asking how an Arab nationalist like himself could trust a Kurdish separatist like Barazi “was overseeing the systematic Kurdish emigration from Turkey to Syria to make the population of al-Jazira region entirely Kurdish That is where over half of our agricultural wealth is located President.” He prophetically added: “If al-Jazira becomes Kurdish then there will no longer be a country called Syria.” Quwatli dismissed his worries “Don’t worry; al-Jazira will forever remain Syrian,” to which Rayyes snapped sarcastically “Just like Palestine will forever remain Arab right?” He then wrapped up the meeting and said Some were registered as “ajanib” (“foreigners”) while others were recorded as “maktum al-qayd” (“unregistered”) As far as Syrian officialdom was concerned these Kurds no longer existed and could not buy or sell property The Kurdish question took on new dimensions under President Hafez al-Assad in the 1970s Assad hosted Iraqi Kurdish politicians who opposed the Baath regime in Baghdad a left-wing Kurd who founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Damascus in 1975 leader of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP) which represented the traditional Kurdish landowning families Assad extended his hospitality to Abdullah Ocalan the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which was waging an insurgency against Turkey Ocalan’s presence in Syria was a strategic move to pressure Turkey over water rights in the Euphrates when escalating tensions with Ankara forced Assad to expel him Ocalan established military camps near Damascus and in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley Arab nationalists were baffled by this alliance between a regime ostensibly rooted in Arab nationalism and Kurdish leaders striving for autonomy the Kurds were a tool to unsettle his rivals: Presidents Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Suleyman Demirel in Turkey Whether the Kurds achieved statehood was of little concern to him as long as it occurred in northern Iraq or southeastern Turkey — not in northern Syria or northwestern Iran though those too were both regions that Kurds envisioned as part of a Greater Kurdistan given that these very same Kurdish fugitives inspired the Kurds of Syria to voice their own demands which started with cultural rights and grew into calls for autonomy and then As Kurdish politics seeped into Syrian discourse Assad ensured that no Syrians joined Ocalan’s army in Turkey or the parties of Talabani and Barzani in Iraq Those who did were arrested for promoting ethnic agendas Assad co-opted prominent Kurds in the religious establishment dean of the Faculty of Islamic Shariah at Damascus University Both supported his regime during his bloody crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1970s and early ‘80s which culminated in the Hama Massacre of 1982 Bouti even led prayers at Assad’s funeral in 2000 He was killed in 2013 during the Syrian conflict Assad could not balance these opposing forces forever The creation of semiautonomous Iraqi Kurdistan after the 1991 Gulf War inspired Syrian Kurds to demand more political freedoms struggled to explain how former guests of Damascus were now leading a project Syrian media labeled as “imperial” and “backed by Israel.” Assad had participated in the 1963 crackdown on Kurdish separatists in Iraq Yet he now insisted that Syrian Kurds had no connection to the separatist movement even erecting a bronze statue of Saladin in Damascus on the 800th anniversary of his death in 1993 emphasizing Kurdish integration into Syrian identity Friction between Kurds and Arabs would erupt soon after Assad’s death in the early years of the rule of his son and successor during a soccer match in the Kurdish city of Qamishli Syrian Arabs raised photos of the recently deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein This greatly offended Kurdish members of the audience who despised the Iraqi dictator for his chemical weapons massacre in Halabja in March 1988 amid the Anfal campaign of February-September 1988 which killed an estimated 50,000-100,000 Iraqi Kurds tearing down a statue of Hafez al-Assad and storming the local branch of the Baath Party This marked the first major act of defiance against the Bashar al-Assad regime and set the stage for Kurdish involvement in Syria’s 2011 uprising The Kurdish struggle in Syria — from fleeting moments of defiance under French rule to the rise of Kurdish nationalism — reflects a century of shifting alliances Though the Kurds have repeatedly seized opportunities to assert their identity external pressures and regional power dynamics have consistently thwarted their aspirations for statehood The recent agreement between Damascus and the SDF may offer a fragile compromise but history suggests that Kurdish ambitions the Kurds remain an indelible force in Syria’s fractured landscape their fate still entangled with the whims of greater powers and the unresolved legacy of their past Become a member today to receive access to all our paywalled essays and the best of New Lines delivered to your inbox through our newsletters Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy Israel has recently targeted multiple areas in Syria including a location near the presidential palace in Damascus While Tel Aviv claims the attacks are in support of the Druze community Syrian officials and citizens describe the strikes as unjustified violations of sovereignty and warn against foreign interference under any pretext Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses: www.presstv.co.uk Click the "share" button in the bottom bar the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command speaks during a press conference in Damascus BEIRUT (AP) — Syria on Saturday detained a prominent Damascus-based Palestinian official whose group was close to the government of ousted president Bashar Assad who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter added that shortly after Naji was detained near his home in the Mazze neighborhood security officials came to his home and questioned two unarmed guards for about an hour A Syrian government official told the AP that Naji was taken for questioning and should be released later The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media The PFLP-GC became known for dramatic attacks against Israel including the hijacking an El Al jetliner in 1968 and the machine gunning of another airliner at Zurich airport in 1969 it planted a bomb on a Swissair jet that blew up on a flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv issued a strong statement on Friday condemning Israel’s Air Force attack on the presidential palace in Damascus an Israeli Air Force plane attacked a target not far from the presidential palace in Damascus in order to send a message to the top governmental echelons that Israel will not sit idly by if the government-operated militias continue to attack the Druze community The Syrian presidency issued a statement calling the Israeli attack "a dangerous escalation against the state's institutions and sovereignty" and claimed that it was intended to destabilize the country and harm national security and unity among the Syrian people Syria called on the international community and the Arab world to fully support it against what it called violations of international law committed by Israel The Syrian government also stressed that the activity to ensure stability and security in Syria would continue and that the government would prosecute those responsible for harming homeland security implying a threat to continue the military campaign against the Druze community Al-Julani’s regime stressed that Syria would not compromise on its sovereignty or security and would continue to defend the Syrian people by all available means Syrian and Lebanese news sites report mayor of Druze town killed after regime forces took control Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus early on Friday morning amid reports of continuing violence against the Druze community IDF fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus,” the IDF said in a statement on Friday morning In a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike sent 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,” the statement read the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel According to a statement released by Netanyahu’s office Sheikh Tarif thanked the Israeli leader for “his directive to take strong action to protect the Druze in Syria in recent days including the Prime Minister's decision last night to strike the Presidential Palace compound in Damascus.”  Sheikh Tarif stated that the decisive actions directed by the prime minister have sent a strong deterrent message to the Syrian regime about Israel’s commitment to protecting the Druze community in Syria Tarif also condemned the recent violence during protests in northern Israel's Druze communities over the situation in Syria Tarif told Netanyahu that Druze community leaders “condemned the displays of violence and violations of the law by members of the community,” and assured him that the Druze community would continue to respect the laws of the state Katz posted a message about the strike on 𝕏: “The Air Force attack last night on the presidential palace in Damascus is a clear warning message to the Syrian regime.”  “When Joulani [al-Sharaa] wakes up in the morning and sees the results of the Israeli Air Force jet attack he will understand very well that Israel is determined to prevent harm to the Druze in Syria.”  Within the last hour, the Israeli Air Force launched a precision-airstrike meters away from the Presidential Palace in Damascus, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating following the strike, “This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow a… pic.twitter.com/lJFQvgj2iS There have been heightened tensions between the Druze communities and the new Syrian regime in recent days Tensions escalated into clashes between Druze residents in several neighborhoods south of Damascus in recent days prompting Israel to strike multiple targets as a warning to the Syrian government that it would not tolerate violence against the Druze community various reports of violence against Druze residents in towns south of Damascus have continued in recent days While the government announced it would send soldiers to restore calm some Druze have accused those forces of attacking and killing several Druze in the area over the religious differences between the Druze and the Sunni Muslims A report in the Lebanese website The National stated that the mayor of the Sahnaya (a mostly Druze town near Damascus) and his son were shot dead hours after forces from the Syrian Defense Ministry entered the area Local news site Suwayda24 reported that the mayor of Sahnaya were shot dead on Thursday night by gunmen who broke into his home The news site also reported that security forces confirmed that the entire area has been under the control of the General Security Service and its allied factions since Wednesday afternoon 🚨🇸🇨🇸🇾 Field Execution of Sahnaya’s MayorThe mayor of Sahnaya, Hussam Warwar, and his only son, Haider Warwar, were executed on the spot by firing squad, reportedly by #HTS militants.Hussam Warwar appeared just yesterday in the attached video (wearing a light blue shirt),… pic.twitter.com/xHXLrPbnmn the Syrian government announced a truce agreement in Jaramana and Sahnaya following meetings between Druze representatives and government officials after a meeting consisting of many Druze religious and community leaders in the Suwayda Governorate of Southwestern Syria the leaders released a statement swearing loyalty to a unified Syria led by the government in Damascus rejecting any violence by rebel or extremist groups and accepting forces of the Syrian Interior Ministry a significant spiritual leader in the Druze community in Syria reportedly attended the meeting but left before the statement was read Some sources report that Sheikh al-Hijri may have left early in protest of another leader’s decision to pledge allegiance to the government in Damascus Certain members of the Syrian Druze community prefer to distance themselves from the regime and have appealed to the Israeli government for protection Sheik al-Hijri was quoted by The National as saying “We no longer trust an entity pretending to be a government .. because the government does not kill its people through its extremist militias .. and then claim they were unruly elements after the massacres The government [should] protect its people.”  The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org Israel has also admitted several Syrian Druze for medical treatment Israel announced that it had “attacked near the Presidential Palace in Damascus” in order to warn the new Syrian government against harming the country’s Druze population The strike near the president’s residence, announced Friday morning by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, came after violence targeting the Druze population in Syria “This is a clear message to the Syrian regime,” the announcement said “We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.” Israel has also admitted several Syrian Druze for medical treatment and on Friday Netanyahu met with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent I accept the Privacy Policy. as IDF strikes near presidential palace in DamascusIsrael won't accept threat to Syria's Druze as IDF strikes near presidential palace in DamascusThe strike represented "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," Netanyahu said the official residence of Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in a warning to the regime that Jerusalem is committed to protecting the country’s Druze minority There was no immediate comment from Syrian authorities The Israel Defense Forces  (IDF) has escalated military operations in Syria since rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad in December with bombings across the country and ground forces entering its southwest.  The Druze are a minority sect that is an offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria Lebanon and Israel; in Muslim-majority countries they are typically threatened by jihadists who persecute them as "infidels."  Druze-jihadi clashes break out in Damascus suburbThe strike was "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" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement It followed days of clashes in Syria between Sunni Muslim and Druze gunmen triggered by a voice recording purportedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed The clashes left more than two dozen people dead in towns around Damascus and prompted an initial Israeli "warning strike" on a town on the capital's outskirts that killed one member of Syria's security forces Israeli warplanes have conducted airstrikes adjacent to the presidential palace in the Syrian capital of Damascus marking the regime's second attack in the Arab country this week amid the silence of the ruling Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) administration Since Bashar Assad’s government collapsed in December Syria has also been plagued by a widespread Israeli occupation across large swathes of the country’s south It has also been hit by hundreds of Israeli airstrikes mainly targeting military infrastructure that belonged to the former Syrian army Israeli authorities have tried to paint the Friday attack as a support for the Druze community which is clashing with the HTS-backed militants near Damascus in a new wave of sectarian violence under the rule of the HTS administration The violence has left dozens of people dead or wounded This is while the Druze minority had a history of supporting the Assad government and standing against Israeli occupation and expansionist policies veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt had warned of an Israeli plot to divide Syria along sectarian lines "The free Syrians must be cautious of the plots of Israel," Jumblatt said There is a plot for sabotage in the region and for the Arabs' national security." The Friday attack came a day after the Israeli regime's interior minister Moshe Arbel called for immediate Israeli intervention in Syria on the pretext of defending the Druze community This week's sectarian violence began in the predominantly Druze city of Jaramana on Tuesday sparked by a voice recording allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and which the regime's militants suspected was made by a Druze the spiritual authority for the Jaramana Druze community said the audio clip was fabricated “to incite sedition and sow division among the people of the same nation.” The deadly clashes in Druze areas followed a wave of massacres in March in Syria's Mediterranean coast during which the HTS-aligned militants killed more than 1,700 civilians The Israeli military operations in Syria come as minister of military affairs Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel is planning to keep its occupation forces in southern Lebanon and Syria “indefinitely.” said the Israeli army is establishing two new outposts in the countryside of Damascus facing the Hasbaya district of southern Lebanon The intensified Israeli aggression against Syria continues despite HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani's repeated overtures to the occupying regime US Congressman Cory Mills told Bloomberg after meeting Jolani in Damascus that Syria's de facto leader seeks to normalize ties with Israel and that he was carrying a letter from him for Trump At least 16 civilians and security officials killed in Druze-majority areas around capital on Wednesday At least 16 civilians and security officials have been killed in clashes in a town near Damascus the second consecutive day of fighting in Druze-majority areas around Syria’s capital Reports on Wednesday said fighting had started overnight in the town of Ashrafiah Sahnaya after unknown gunmen attacked a security checkpoint An attack on the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana a day earlier left at least 10 people dead according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights explosions and shelling throughout Wednesday morning The security forces closed off roads leading to the area and sent reinforcements in an attempt to stop the fighting also announced that Israeli forces had struck an “extremist group that was preparing to attack the Druze population south of Damascus” A second Israeli strike killed a member of Syria’s security forces outside Damascus and Israel’s military chief of staff ordered preparations to attack Syrian government targets “if the violence against the Druze did not stop” Israel has said it will protect the Druze population in southern Syria an offer that Syrian Druze have said they did not ask for Read moreTuesday’s fighting was sparked by a fake audio recording attributed to a Druze cleric insulting Islam’s prophet Unknown gunmen launched their attack on Jaramana seemingly in connection with the audio clip The cleric supposedly speaking in the clip posted a video on social media later on Tuesday clarifying that he had no connection to the Islamophobic recording and whoever made it is evil and wants to incite strife between components of the Syrian people,” said Marwan Kiwan Syria’s interior ministry confirmed that the recording was falsely attributed to a Druze official and stressed that people should abide by the law and not engage in acts of vigilantism Community leaders and government representatives managed to broker a deal to end the fighting in Jaramana on Tuesday with stipulations that victims’ families would receive compensation and attackers would be brought to justice Fighting quickly reignited several hours later in Ashrafieh Sahnaya but it is unclear if the attackers were related to those in Jaramana whose inhabitants have been reluctant to allow the Syrian government full access to the area Ashrafieh Sahnaya is surrounded and is being attacked by terrorists General security is preventing Druze and the military council from helping them,” the head of the Suwayda military council Syria’s cash-strapped authorities suffer from a lack of capacity The nascent state has launched training courses to bolster the ranks of its security forces but it has struggled to disarm and prevent sporadic attacks by the myriad armed factions that roam the vast countryside Syria’s minister of interior put out a statement on Wednesday saying “it will not hesitate to deal with these criminals and will strike with an iron fist anyone who seeks to destabilise Syria’s security and target its people” Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/liveblog_entry\/netanyahu-and-katz-announce-israel-struck-target-near-damascus-presidential-palace\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=zLRajSU7wwANErp7.lHbafy0RMp3EaaarEvKi.z7DsI-1746489345-1.0.1.1-YbafxthHZW0XL0xZHMMC.dTMNQXK_vDMvyrJnqvJiRA" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); The fighting in the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana broke out after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man attacking Islam’s Prophet Muhammad The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric Druze gunmen stand next to a checkpoint a day after clashes between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters left at least four people dead in the southern suburb of Jaramana Druze students who fled their dorms at Damascus University arrive to take shelter in Jaramana suburb a day after clashes between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters left at least four people dead in the southern suburb of Jaramana A Druze gunmen stands guard near a checkpoint a day after clashes between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters left at least four people dead in the southern suburb of Jaramana Druze boys hold their sect religious flags stand next to Druze gunmen Druze gunmen stand guard near a checkpoint Druze gunmen stand guard at a checkpoint a day after clashes between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters left at least four people dead in the southern suburb of Jaramana Syrian Druze gunmen have clashed in recent weeks with government security forces and pro-government gunmen in the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana government representatives and Jaramana dignitaries reached an agreement to end the fighting compensate victims’ families and work on bringing perpetrators to justice according to a copy of the deal circulated in Jaramana and seen by The Associated Press It was not immediately clear if the truce will hold for a long time as similar deals in the past collapsed afterward The latest round of fighting broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticizing Islam’s Prophet Muhammad But cleric Marwan Kiwan said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio “I categorically deny that the audio was made by me,” Kiwan said and whoever made it is an evil man who wants to incite strife between components of the Syrian people.” The Interior Ministry said in a statement it was investigating the audio clip adding that its initial probe showed the cleric was not responsible The ministry urged people to abide by the law and not to act in a way that undermines security The Druze religious leadership in Jaramana condemned the audio but blasted the “unjustified armed attack” on the suburb It urged the state to publicly clarify what happened “Why does this keep happening every now and then It’s as if there’s no state or government in charge They need to establish security checkpoints especially in areas where there are tensions,” said Jaramana resident Abu Tarek Zaaour The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 10 people were killed four of them attackers and six Jaramana residents The activist media collective Suwayda24 said 11 people were killed and 12 were wounded said gunmen were holding the attacker’s bodies and talks are on the way to hand them over a member of the security forces entered the suburb and started shooting in the air leading to an exchange of fire with local gunmen that left him dead gunmen came from the Damascus suburb of Mleiha to Jaramana where they clashed with Druze gunmen leaving one Druze fighter dead and nine other people wounded The clashes between Assad loyalists and government forces were accompanied by revenge killings that left more than 1,000 people dead The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the figures Associated Press journalists Abdulrahman Shaheen in Damascus and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report Security forces in Syria and local Druze gunmen deployed inside the Damascus suburb of Jaramana following days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect left dozens dead or injured Residents near the Syrian capital of Damascus described a “difficult” aftermath and extensive property damage after clashes erupted recently The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 22 people had been killed in the clashes altogether 16 of whom were members of the security forces Syria’s security forces stand on their vehicle after reaching a deal with Druze gunmen to deploy around Jaramana a Damascus suburb that saw fighting earlier this week speaks with Syrian security forces who reached a deal with Druze gunmen to deploy around the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana that has witnessed fighting earlier this week in Damascus EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Syrian boys take pictures with their mobile phones of the bodies of former Shanaya’s town mayor Houssam Warawar and his son Haidar a day after clashes erupted between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters Syria (AP) — Israel’s air force struck near Syria’s presidential palace early Friday after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria intense Israeli airstrikes were reported in different parts of Damascus and its suburbs as well as the southern and central Syria Associated Press journalists in Damascus said the airstrikes lasted for more than one hour until after midnight It was not immediately clear if the Israeli airstrikes late Friday inflicted any casualties Syria’s presidency condemned the Israeli airstrike calling it a “dangerous escalation against state institutions and the soveignty of the state.” It called on the international community to stand by Syria saying that such attacks “target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people.” Syria’s Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticized Syria’s government for what he called an “unjustified genocidal attack” on the minority community the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway “We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians a nation that is free of strife,” the statement said security forces deployed inside the area along with local Druze gunmen and at a later stage heavy weapons will be handed over to authorities forces from the defense ministry will deploy around Jaramana without going inside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strike was “a clear message” to Syrian leaders “We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” the joint statement said Pro-government Syrian media outlets said that the strike hit close to the People’s Palace on a hill overlooking the city the Israeli military said that it had evacuated Syrian Druze who were wounded in the fighting The Israeli army said in a statement Friday that a soldier was killed and three were slightly injured in an accident in the Golan Heights An army statement added that the soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital and that the circumstances of the incident were being investigated Syria’s Information Ministry said that 11 members of the country’s security forces were killed in two separate attacks while Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people — over the past four days of which 51 were killed in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana — were killed in clashes among them local gunmen and security forces which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981 Bassem Mroue contributed to this report from Beirut The IDF conducted an airstrike in Damascus adjacent to the area of the Palace of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa," without specifying the target the military confirmed early Friday morning. לפני זמן קצר מטוסי קרב תקפו במרחב הסמוך לארמונו של אחמד חוסיין א-שרע בדמשק i24 News – At least 600 Syrian Druze from Sahnaya and Jaramana in the outskirts of Damascus have fled to… Armed Druze men stand at a checkpoint in Jaramana i24 News – At least 600 Syrian Druze from Sahnaya and Jaramana in the outskirts of Damascus have fled to the town of Hader and its surrounding villages in southern Syria in light of escalating violence against the local Druze community is currently under IDF control as part of the Israeli military presence in southwest Syria since the fall of the Assad regime The source said there is much disappointment at the current Israeli response to the violence against Syrian Druze which was committed by elements affiliated with the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa Despite Israel facilitating the provision of basic supplies and aid to Druze communities in Syria they expect to see Israel do more to stop the violence against the Druze We feel abandoned by the Israeli government,” the source said “We want to see Israel send President al-Sharaa a direct message no such message has been sent from Israel.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Rami lived through more than a decade of war in Syria Deadly clashes between pro-government fighters and local Druze gunmen ignited on Tuesday in part over a now-debunked audio clip of a Druze cleric allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad a 27-year-old Druze activist and former Red Crescent worker He decided to join his friends on the frontline “It was truly frightening,” he told Middle East Eye The pro-government fighters allegedly killed dozens of people in the Damascus suburbs of Jaramana and Ashrafiet Sahnaya as well as along the Damascus-Sweida highway.  Among the dead is the mayor of Ashrafiet Sahnaya killed by gunmen who stormed his house on Wednesday night which has sought to intervene in Syria in purported support of the Druze also launched several air strikes on Ashrafiet Sahnaya on Wednesday against what it said were “operatives near Damascus who had attacked Druze civilians”.  Syria’s foreign ministry said it rejected “foreign intervention” and it was committed “to protect all components of the Syrian people … including the children of the honourable Druze community” The bloodshed has stoked fears that minorities such as the Druze are not safe under the rule of Syria’s new government Among the dead were some of Rami’s friends “I know that carrying a weapon is wrong… and I don’t want to own one,” Rami said from his home in Jaramana I found out that more of my friends were killed in Sweida and Sahnaya' Druze Syrians told Middle East Eye they are now living in “fear and anxiety” with many now staying indoors on Thursday fearing further fighting Druze leaders and government officials have managed to calm the situation The killings come just weeks after gunmen aligned with Syria’s new government waged massacres in towns and villages along the coast home to the Alawi religious minority group is himself an Alawi from the coastal region and employed many Alawis in his oppressive security forces leading some to blame the community for Assad’s crimes.  Activist groups have put the death toll in those attacks between 1,000 and 2,000 people They adhere to an offshoot of Islam that emerged in medieval Egypt and live primarily in Syria Historically, Syria’s Druze have kept some distance from the central state, even before the Assad dynasty and today’s new government led by former rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa. They live primarily in Sweida, the country’s southernmost governorate along the border with Jordan, as well as a smattering of Damascus suburbs further north.  A voicenote falsely attributed to a Druze cleric, in which the speaker insults the Prophet Muhammad, spread widely on social media in recent days, and allegedly sparked the initial clashes in Jaramana. Though the fighting there died down by Thursday, residents “are still scared to go out and about”, Rami said. Two of his friends were killed on Tuesday in the Jaramana clashes, he said.  “And while talking with you, I found out that more of my friends were killed in Sweida and Sahnaya,” added Rami, who asked to use a pseudonym fearing reprisals for speaking to the media. “We feel scared. And we feel disappointed.” Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze, called the killings an “unjustified genocidal attack” in a statement, urging international forces to “immediately intervene to preserve peace”. Wadah Azzam, 43, lives in Sweida’s provincial capital, about an hour and a half from Damascus. Even there, residents are tense, he said.  Azzam and his friends and neighbours have been “asking ourselves how we can protect ourselves from an attack”, he told MEE. Tobias Lang, an expert on the Druze of the Levant and director of the Austrian Centre for Peace, said for now Sweida remains relatively isolated from Sharaa’s new government The province also has its own slew of well-armed, locally powerful militias, including the Men of Dignity and Sheikhs of Dignity.  The Damascus countryside, where this week’s clashes took place, is different.  “Those towns are largely mixed and surrounded by Sunni towns,” with a strong potential support base for Sharaa’s new government, Lang said. The Dignity factions, though powerful in Sweida, “do not have as strong a presence in rural Damascus,” he added. When rebel fighters defeated Assad’s forces late last year, Druze armed factions also took part in the fight in their own, Druze-majority governorate of Sweida, as well as neighbouring Daraa alongside rebels groups.  Fighters from the Men of Dignity and Sheikhs of Dignity groups freed people held in local prisons in the days leading up to Assad’s fall.  They also drove soldiers from roadside checkpoints and military sites.  Sweida had been freed by its own fighters and not Sharaa’s rebels, and it is still unclear how exactly those Druze forces might be incorporated into the new state.  They and other residents of Druze areas say they’ve been longtime opponents of the Assad government, similar to Syria’s new rulers. During the war, many Druze in Jaramana became activists, helping people in the neighbouring districts under siege receive food and other aid supplies at the risk of their own lives.  Some Druze residents of the town ended up in Assad’s notorious torture prisons for their part in helping their besieged neighbours.  Even as a teenager at the beginning of Syria’s war in 2011 and 2012, Rami was part of that relief effort.  “Over time, I came to know many of the people who helped smuggle medical supplies,” he recalls.  But after this week’s attacks, he says he feels a sense of “abandonment”. Copyright © 2014 - 2025. Middle East Eye. All rights reserved. Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. Middle East Eye          ISSN 2634-2456                      You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. Secret embassy papers show why it failedPieces of shredded documents are scattered on a poster of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Iran dreamed up a U.S.-style Marshall Plan to rebuild Syria after the civil war It invested billions to build influence there Documents from its looted embassy in Damascus reviewed by Reuters show how that plan went spectacularly wrong with the ouster of Bashar al-Assad are rushing to fill the vacuum left by its departure has to contend with multiple frozen infrastructure projects as it tries to rebuild the war-ravaged country.A torn poster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen in Syria's Sayyida Zaynab district REUTERS/Amr AlfikyThe Syrian people have a wound caused by Iran Sign up here. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab ShareXFacebookLinkedinEmailLinkThomson Reuters Foreign correspondent specialized in the Middle East. John ran the Reuters Baghdad and Cairo bureaus, covered the Syrian war based out of Beirut and has reported across the region. He has covered conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Gaza, unrest in Egypt, the West Bank and Lebanon, and investigated the devastating power struggles between by rival armed groups, regional states and foreign powers. Investigative reporter specializing in using data analysis and open source materials to break news and expose wrongdoing. Written about police violence and failings of the U.S. justice system; business interests of Myanmar military family members; and the largely unregulated U.S. trade in donated human bodies. Honors include a Loeb Award, Scripps Howard Award, Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics and Goldsmith Prize finalist, among others. , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved WorldNewsMen open fire in Damascus nightclub, second attack in a week targeting nightlifeBy AFPPublished: May 05, 2025 at 9:55AM EDT Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved  Today’s Paper#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }Syria After Civil War The sectarian-tinged violence was directed at a suburb of the Syrian capital with a large population from the Druse minority Local Druse leaders said they held the government responsible Deadly clashes fueled by sectarian tensions erupted on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Syrian officials and a war monitoring group said on Tuesday The fighting began overnight from Monday to Tuesday in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana which has a large population from the minority Druse sect It came after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man insulting the Prophet Muhammad The cleric and Druse religious figures in Jaramana denied the accusation The Syrian Interior Ministry said that its initial findings showed that the cleric was not responsible and appealed for calm unidentified fighters in armored vehicles amassed overnight outside Jaramana and began shelling the city It was the latest wave of sectarian violence to hit Syria since Islamist rebels overthrew the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December stoking fears among the country’s many minority groups that those rebels — who now control the government and military — will marginalize or even target them The audio clip also set off demonstrations in a number of other cities with some of the protesters inciting violence against the Druse We are having trouble retrieving the article content Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings Thank you for your patience while we verify access Already a subscriber? Log in Want all of The Times? Subscribe 2025 8:39 am IDTThe Israeli Air Force conducted an airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus overnight into Friday according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office which called the strike a "clear message to the Syrian regime."