The Syrian presidency has denounced Israeli air strikes near the presidential palace in Damascus as a “dangerous escalation”, as tensions soar after Israel accused Syria’s authorities of failing to protect the Druze minority from “sectarian violence.”
Following the attack, Damascus strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike as a “dangerous escalation” and a direct assault on the country’s sovereignty and state institutions.
“The Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns the bombing that targeted the presidential palace area by the Israeli occupation (forces), which constitutes a serious escalation against the institutions of the state and its sovereignty,” the presidency said in a statement.
It called on the international community and Arab nations to “unify their stance and fully support Syria against these assaults in a manner that ensures the protection of Arab nations’ rights in confronting Israeli aggression.”
In a rival statement, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee admitted that “fighter jets struck the area adjacent to the palace of (Syrian President) Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus.”
While Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the attack was a message to the Syrian leader.
“This is 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 Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz shortly after the attack.
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Despite recent breakthroughs in peace efforts between Druze factions and the Syrian government, Israel launched a provocative strike in a show of support for Druze “minority rights” in Syria.
Thus, many have questioned Israel’s intentions beyond merely “defending the Druze.”
Syria emphasised that such attacks aimed at undermining its unity and territorial integrity “would not break the resolve of the Syrian people or halt the government’s efforts toward stability and peace.”
Damascus also warned that the strike reflects “reckless moves aimed at deepening the country’s security crises and destabilising national unity.”
Contrary to the position of the Syrian Druze community in condemning Israeli violations against Syria, Muafak Tarif, a prominent leader of the Druze community in Israel, hailed the Israeli airstrike near the Syrian presidential palace, alleging it is part of protecting the Druze in Syria.
During his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Tarif said Israel’s attacks in Syria “sent a deterrent message to the Syrian regime regarding Israel’s commitment to the Druze community in Syria,” according to a statement by Netanyahu’s office.
Druze unrest
Israel’s Druze population is estimated at 150,000, and most of the people hold Israeli citizenship and serve in the military, unlike the 23,000 Druze in Syria’s Golan Heights, who largely reject Israeli citizenship and identify themselves as Syrian nationals.
The Syrian government has repeatedly accused Israel of exploiting sectarian groups, including the Druze minority, to justify intervention in the country’s internal affairs.
Damascus maintains that all Syrians, regardless of sect, enjoy equal rights under the Constitution.
Israel has intensified its aerial attacks on Syria in recent days, targeting the outskirts of the town of Ashrafieh Sahnaya in the Damascus countryside.
Israel’s unwarranted interventions surface following peace resolutions between the warring factions.
The Syrian government announced that it had reached an agreement with residents of Jaramana city in the Damascus countryside to enhance security and hand over weapons to the state.
The development was reported by the Damascus Countryside Governorate. It said the meeting came “as part of joint efforts to strengthen security and stability and to ensure the return of normal life to Jaramana in a manner that preserves the dignity of its people and ensures their safety under the umbrella of the state and its institutions.”
Meanwhile, Druze religious leaders and elders affirmed their commitment to a united Syria, stressing their rejection of division or separatism.
While Syria emphasizes equal protection for all communities, including the Druze, who constitute about 3% of its population and are concentrated in Suwayda, Israel has claimed that Druze in Syria face attacks, a narrative that Damascus views as a pretext for territorial expansion.
Arab world condemnation
Qatar and Saudi Arabia strongly condemned an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area near the presidential palace in Damascus on Friday, calling it “blatant aggression” against the sovereignty of Syrian territory.
In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry denounced the strike “in the strongest terms,” reiterating its “full support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the aspirations of its brotherly people for security and stability.”
The ministry also reiterated “Qatar’s warning that the repeated aggression by the occupation against Syria and Lebanon, along with its continued brutal war on Gaza, are likely to ignite a cycle of violence and chaos in the region.”
It called upon “the international community to exert pressure on the occupying (Israel) power to comply with international legitimacy resolutions.”
Meanwhile, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reiterating the kingdom’s “firm rejection of the Israeli attacks that violate the sovereignty, security, and stability of the Syrian Arab Republic.”
In a statement, the ministry stressed the urgent need to put an end to Israel’s violations of international law in Syria and the region, warning that “the continuation of these violations and Israel’s extremist policies heighten the risks of violence, extremism, and regional instability.”
