Israel Strikes Near Syrian Presidential Palace to Defend Druze Community

In a dramatic overnight airstrike, the Israel Defense Forces targeted an area near the presidential palace in Damascus, signaling a bold shift in policy to defend Syria’s embattled Druze community. The strike, authorized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, came in direct response to jihadist attacks and rising sectarian violence threatening the Druze population near the Syrian capital.

“This is a clear message to the Syrian regime,” Netanyahu and Katz said in a joint statement. “We will not allow [Syrian regime] forces to move south of Damascus or to pose any danger to the Druze community.”

Tensions escalated after the release of a provocative audio recording reportedly from a Druze man that incited sectarian bloodshed, leaving over 100 dead in the ensuing clashes. Extremist groups aligned with Syria’s new Sunni Islamist leadership have intensified assaults on Druze villages, sparking urgent calls for intervention from within Israel and abroad.

Defense Minister Katz took to social media to underscore the strike’s significance: “When [Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa] wakes up in the morning and sees the results of the Air Force attack, he’ll understand very well that Israel is determined to prevent harm to Syria’s Druze.”

This assertive move came shortly after Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, appealed to the Israeli government to take action. “The State of Israel must not stand by as mere spectators,” he urged, highlighting the moral responsibility to safeguard Druze lives across the northern border.

The IDF has since confirmed heightened readiness to intercept hostile elements and secure Druze-populated regions, particularly near Jaramana and the Rif Dimashq Governorate. The military also disclosed it had evacuated two injured Syrian-Druze civilians to Ziv Medical Center in Safed for treatment further illustrating Israel’s active humanitarian and strategic role.

The recent strike follows earlier warnings issued by Netanyahu and Katz in March, declaring unequivocally that any aggression against the Druze would meet with Israeli military retaliation. That warning, now executed, affirms Israel’s commitment to defending both its own Druze citizens and their kin across the border.

As international voices, including the U.S. State Department, condemn the violence and urge accountability from Syria’s interim leadership, Israel has made clear that it will not stand idly by. “We are committed to our Druze brothers,” Katz reiterated, “and will take all necessary measures to ensure their safety.”

This operation marks not only a military maneuver but a reaffirmation of Israel’s enduring alliance with the Druze community a bond forged in shared sacrifice and national loyalty.

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