Israeli military attacks target near Syria’s presidential palace
The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority
Israel bombed an area near the presidential palace in Damascus early on Friday in its clearest signal yet of hostility toward the Islamist-led Syrian authorities and a preparedness to ramp up military action in the name of Syria’s Druze minority.
Israel 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, while calling for Syria to remain decentralised and isolated.
It has framed its stance around its suspicion toward interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who once headed a branch of al Qaeda, and the desire to protect the Druze, a minority sect that is an offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
The Druze adhere to a faith that is an offshoot of Islam and have followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
The strikes reflected Israel’s deep mistrust of the Sunni Islamists who toppled Al-Assad in December, posing a further challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to establish control over the fractured nation.
