US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed they are “very concerned” regarding the Israeli attacks in Syria’s Damascus on Wednesday, killing one and injuring at least 18, as per the Syrian health ministry.
Israeli Strikes Near Syrian Government Headquarters
The Israeli military conducted a fresh wave of attacks close to the Syrian army and defence ministry headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday, state television reported, after Israel warned against attacking the Druze community.
Syrian government troops had sent troops to Druze majority city of Sweida in the south of the country on Tuesday, fighting against Druze fighters who held the region before.
Witnesses quoted in accounts reported that the Syrian government troops allied with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians throughout the city.
Highest Levels of Violence in Months
The clashes are the most severe Syrian violence since Syrian government troops clashed with Druze combatants in Sweida province and around Damascus in April and May and killed over 100 individuals.
The death toll in south Syria violence currently stands at over 300, according to an AFP news agency report that quoted a monitor.
The Druze are an Arab minority of around a million people who mostly reside in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. In southern Sweida or Suwayda province of Syria, the group has on multiple occasions in the past found themselves sandwiched between the army of former Assad’s regime and militant groups in the course of the ten-year civil war in Syria.
Israel Vows Protection of Druze Community
Israeli defense official stated on Wednesday that Israel will not allow the Syrian army to establish a military presence along their common border and will defend the Druze community in southern Syria against attack.
Following the attacks, the official stated Israel was in close communication with the United States regarding the situation in Syria, and Israel was ready for all eventualities.
The foregoing officer, quoted in a Reuters article, further stated that the Syrian military “was part of the problem, not the solution to the crisis”. It reportedly failed to safeguard the Druze minority in Syria.
Targeting of Key Syrian Military Infrastructure
The Israel Defence Forces characterized the military headquarters in Damascus as “the point from which Syrian regime commanders coordinate combat operations and send regime troops to the As-Suwayda region.”
Separately, a military target in the vicinity of the Syrian regime’s presidential palace in Damascus was hit, the IDF reported in a Telegram statement.
