A host of nations have condemned Israel’s attacks on Syria as a “gross violation” of Syrian sovereignty, amid heavy clashes between Syrian forces and Druze militia in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda.
The Israeli army on Wednesday launched deadly airstrikes on the Syrian capital Damascus as well as Suwayda and Daraa on the pretext of protecting the Druze community who have been engaging in violent unrest and battles with security forces and local Bedouin tribes.
Another strike reportedly followed early on Thursday on a Syrian military base. Syria’s Interior Ministry said the attacks had killed more than 30 people and injured nearly 100.
Following Israel’s aggression, a host of countries have rallied behind Damascus and expressed harsh condemnation of Tel Aviv’s actions.
“Israel’s unrestrained actions are destabilising the region and causing chaos, and it must immediately halt aggressive moves that could lead to irreversible consequences,” the Turkish National Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
“Turkish forces and personnel on Syrian soil – sent there on anti-terrorist missions along the border – are not facing any setbacks following Israeli airstrikes on Syria,” ministry spokesperson Zeki Akturk told reporters at a briefing in the capital, Ankara.
Russia also weighed in with comments from Moscow stating that the latest Israeli airstrikes on Syria deserve “strong condemnation” and constitute a “gross violation of country’s sovereignty and international law.”
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Similarly, China on Thursday called for “respect” for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amid Israeli airstrikes on the Mideast nation.
“No action should be taken, in particular amid the ongoing turbulence in the Middle East, that escalates the situation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference in Beijing.
Elsewhere, a statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry said Riyadh has been closely following developments in Syria and expressed support for the Syrian government’s efforts to restore stability and safeguard national unity.
“Saudi Arabia expresses its satisfaction with the measures taken by the Syrian government to achieve security and stability, preserve civil peace, and restore sovereignty across Syrian territory in a way that maintains Syria’s unity and meets the aspirations of the Syrian people,” it said.
Fight with the Druze
Israel’s air strikes followed days of deadly clashes in Suwayda between Syrian government forces and local Druze fighters.
The violence began over tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between armed Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes.
When government troops intervened to restore order, Druze fighters began battling Syrian forces. Accusations of abuses against civilians have circulated online from both sides with video evidence appearing to back up those claims.
The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethno-religious minority which exist largely in Syria, Lebanon and Occupied Palestine.
The Druze faith is sometimes described as an offshoot of Shia Islam, however, they are not Muslims and neither Islamic religious leadership nor the Druze themselves consider the Druze faith to be within the fold of Islam.
Half of its roughly one million followers of this faith live in Syria, where they make up about 3% of the population. The Druze community in Israel is largely considered to be loyal to the Israeli regime, owing to its members’ participation in military service.
A ceasefire declared on Tuesday quickly collapsed, and fighting resumed the next day.
Suwayda’s Druze appear divided. One leader, Yasser Jarbou, declared that a ceasefire had been agreed with the Syrian government. Another, Hikmat al-Hijri, rejected any ceasefire. And many Druze in Syria do not want Israel to intervene on their behalf.
Senior Druze leaders are located in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Their stances on Israel, Zionism and loyalty to Arab states varies wildly.
Many Druze, despite their opposition to Damascus or their Muslim neighbours at times, remain deeply opposed to any association to Israel, however, other Druze have pleaded with Israel to continue attacks on Syria or currently fight alongside the IDF.
Israel, citing a commitment to protect the Druze and prevent hostile forces from gaining ground near its borders, warned pn Wednesday it would escalate its operations unless Syrian troops withdrew from Suwayda. The province sits near both the Israeli and Jordanian borders, making it a key strategic zone.
Syria’s response and ceasefire
Meanwhile, Syrian government forces have begun withdrawing from the southern region of Suwayda as part of a ceasefire agreed with the Druze minority agreed on Wednesday.
Syrian president Ahmed Al Sharaa accused Israel of sowing divisions and trying to “ignite tension and chaos” in his country after Israel’s military hit the heart of Damascus in what it says was support for the Druze.
“The Druze people are an integral part of the fabric of this homeland,” he stressed.
He also stated that Syria chose to create opportunities for prominent Druze figures to pave the way for an agreement, rather than entering a war with Israel “at the expense of our Druze people and their security and destabilizing Syria and the entire region.”
He added that some local factions and prominent figures are being assigned to maintain security in Suwayda to avoid “a new large-scale war that might drag it away from its major goals of recovering from the devastating (civil) war and distancing it from the political and economic difficulties left behind by the former regime.”
The new leadership in Damascus has been accused by some of being too soft on Israel and failing to act to prevent continued Israel aggression against Syria.
Damascus has focused most of its attention to ending Western sanctions and building new relations with a wide variety of countries who can help rebuild Syria following years of devastating civil war.
