Israel바카라™s air force struck adjacent to the Syrian presidential palace in the early hours of Friday, AP reported. The attack came after the Syrian authorities were warned against marching to the villages in southern Syria where members of the minority sect reside.
An infighting between Syria바카라™s majority Sunni muslims and the minority Druze sect has resulted in multiple casualties. Today바카라™s strike comes after the clash between gunmen from Syrian government loyalists and the Druze minority near Syria바카라™s capital - Damascu. Casualties were reported.
"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 forces to deploy south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community."
The Israeli army released a statement saying that fighter jets struck near the Palace of President Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus. It gave no further details.
The Druze religious sect is a branch of the minority Shiite sect of Islam. At least half of the world바카라™s one million Druze live in Syria. The community also lives in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. In Syria, they mostly reside in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus
Why is Israel attacking Syria?
As per The Indian Express reported, experts say that Israel is concerned about the Syria바카라™s new Islamist-led interim leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took power after former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December. Israel is worried about the rising influence of Islam in the region, especially from groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda commander. He renounced terrorism in 2016. Since taking control of the country's presidency, he has pledged inclusive governance. However, the recent infighting and unrest has made the situation difficult for Sharaa, according to The Indian Express.
What led up to the Israel attack?
A few days ago, an audio of a Druze cleric criticizing Prophet Muhammad went viral, leading to unrest amongst the majoritarian Sunni sect.
Sectarian violence ensued between the Druze and Sunni communities in Syria, DW reported.
The violence left dozens of people dead or wounded.
Previously in March, over 1,700 civilians were killed, mostly belonging to Syria's Alawite community.
