Israeli media quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying early Friday morning that Israel attacked a target near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital, Damascus, again, his pledge to protect the people of the Druze minority.
This is the second time that Israel has launched a blow to Syria within two days, after it pledged to defend the Druze minority.
“Israel launched an air strike last night near the presidential palace in Damascus,” Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.
He added, “This is a clear message to the Syrian regime: We will not allow the (Syrian) forces to deploy south of Damascus or to form any threat to the Druze.”
On Thursday, Katz warned that Israel would respond vigorously if the Syrian authorities did not protect the Druze, two days after the clashes near Damascus.
“If the attacks on the Druze are resumed and the Syrian regime fails to prevent it, Israel will respond with a great deal of strength,” Katz said in a statement.
The Israeli Minister of Defense also said that Israel “sent a clear message to the Syrian regime”, after a raid launched by Israel in Syria and said it had targeted the protection of the Druze.
For his part, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Jadaoun Saar, on Thursday, called on the international community to “provide protection for Druze” in Syria. Saar asked the international community “not to turn a blind eye to the difficult events that occur there recently,” as he put it.
For his part, a spokesman for the Israeli army announced that today, Syrian Druze citizens were evacuated for treatment in Israeli territory, after they were injured in Syrian territory.
He added: “The Israeli army forces are deployed in the southern Syrian region, and they are ready to prevent hostile forces from entering the area and the Druze villages. The Israeli army continues to follow developments in defensive readiness to deal with various scenarios,” as he put it.
This comes the day after the Israeli aviation launched raids, according to what it said was “3 security targets” in the Ashrafieh Sahnaya area, yesterday, Wednesday.
On Tuesday-Wednesday night, Ashrafieh Sahnaya, where the Druze residents were concentrated, clashes between the Syrian security and what Damascus called “groups outside the law”, which led to deaths.
Hours after security tensions, the Public Security Directorate in Damascus countryside announced, on Wednesday evening, the end of the security operation in all Sahnaya neighborhoods, and the deployment of security forces to restore security and stability in the region.
These events came the day after similar clashes in the Jaramana neighborhood of Damascus, where Druze residents are also stationed, which resulted in deaths and injuries.
Later, on Wednesday evening, a “initial agreement” was reached to a ceasefire in Jaramana and Ashrafieh Sahnaya, and the formation of a joint committee to solve the security tensions crisis in the two regions.
The extension of security over the entire Syria is one of the most prominent challenges faced by the new President Ahmed Al -Shara, with areas still practically outside his control, similar to the areas of Kurdish fighters in the northeast of the country, despite the signing of a bilateral agreement with them.
The new authorities have pledged to protect all sects, at a time when the international community urges to involve all components in the transition.
