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Israel carried out strikes near Syria’s presidential palace and on the military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday, a significant escalation of its bombing campaign in the neighbouring country.
The Israeli military also carried out strikes in southern Syria, where violence between Druze militants, Bedouin tribes and Syrian security forces raged for a fourth day. Local officials say about 50 people have been killed in the clashes so far.
Israel cast its strikes as an effort to protect Syria’s Druze minority, and has demanded the Syrian government withdraw its forces from Sweida, where the sectarian violence has been concentrated.
“The [Israeli military] will continue to operate vigorously in Sweida to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until they withdraw completely,” defence minister Israel Katz said after the strikes in Damascus.
But Turkish and Arab officials have repeatedly criticised Israel’s interventions, saying they are undermining efforts to stabilise a country home to multiple sects and riven by deep divisions after 14 ruinous years of civil war.
The US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, said on Wednesday that the US “unequivocally condemn[s] violence against civilians in Suwayda [Sweida]”.
“All parties must step back and engage in meaningful dialogue that leads to a lasting ceasefire,” he said. “Perpetrators need to be held accountable.”
Syrian government troops were dispatched to Sweida on Monday to quell fighting between Druze forces and Bedouin armed men, who have a long history of animosity, but ended up themselves clashing with the Druze.
Activists described scenes of carnage in Sweida city, with both government forces and Druze militias accused of killings and human rights violations.
The office of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led a rebel offensive that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad last year, acknowledged “unfortunate violations” in Sweida, which it described as “criminal and illegal”. It promised an investigation to hold accountable those “proven to be involved”.
But Sharaa’s rule has been marred by multiple outbreaks of sectarian killing. Activists in Sweida, the home of Syria’s Druze community, compared the violence to clashes in March between government security forces and the minority Alawite sect loyal to Assad, in which scores of people — including many civilians — were killed.
The surge in violence comes as Sharaa’s transitional government struggles to establish control over the whole of Syria.
Sharaa has received early support from US President Donald Trump, who last month lifted most American sanctions on Syria, arguing that the move would give the fledging administration a better chance of survival.
But he has also had to contend with repeated interventions from an emboldened Israel, which has exploited the security vacuum in its northern neighbour to seize territory along the border and launch waves of air strikes targeting Syrian military infrastructure.
Sharaa’s government, which has said it does not want conflict with its neighbours, had been holding talks with Israel to ease tensions before the latest outbreak of violence.
It said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes this week had killed a number of its armed forces and “several” civilians, accusing Israel of striking at a “calculated moment . . . clearly aimed at undermining national security and striking at Syrian unity”.
Syria’s ministry of health said one person was killed and 18 injured in Damascus from Israel’s strikes.
Israel’s bombing in Damascus came as Druze leaders in Israel — which is also home to a Druze minority — called for Israel to carry out “air strikes that will thwart the murderous forces operating in southern Syria”.
They also called on members of the community to “prepare with all the necessary means to cross the border, in order to help their brothers who are being slaughtered in Syria”.
The Israeli military subsequently said “several” people had tried to cross from Israel into Syria, while “dozens” had attempted to cross in the opposite direction. It added that it was operating to stop border crossings in either direction.
The calls from Israel’s Druze leaders were echoed by Hikmat al-Hijri, a prominent Druze leader in Syria considered closest to Israel, who called for “international protection” for his community, and asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for help.
Hijri’s views, however, are not representative of the majority of Sweida’s Druze community — one riven with divisions over whether to integrate with the new government, which is dominated by members of Sharaa’s Islamist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Sharaa has repeatedly said his government would protect minority rights, and his efforts to rebuild the country have been backed by Arab and western states.
But Druze concerns about the new government were exacerbated after deadly clashes between government forces and Druze militias in April.
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