Tel Aviv [Israel], May 2 (ANI/ TPS): Israel confirmed fresh airstrikes on Damascus, specifically near the Syrian presidential compound, early on Friday morning. The strikes served as a warning to President Ahmed al-Sharaa amid ongoing sectarian violence between the Druze and Sunni communities in Syria.
At least 22 Syrian Druze were killed in violent clashes with Sunni gunmen in the Damascus area, escalating tensions in the region.
Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, condemned the fighting, stating, “The recent violence and inflammatory rhetoric targeting members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable.”
The Israeli airstrike came just two days after warning strikes on Wednesday. The growing violence has led Israel’s Druze community to urge stronger measures from the Israeli government to protect their co-religionists in southern Syria.
During a Memorial Day ceremony on Wednesday, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s 152,000 Druze, called for intervention, saying, “At this moment, the eyes and hearts of the Druze community are turned toward the attacks on Druze villages around Damascus.” He urged Israel not to stand by as violence intensified in Syria.
Wael Mugrabi, an Israeli Druze official and head of the Ein Qiniyye Local Council in the Golan Heights, demanded that the Israeli government take immediate action. Speaking to The Press Service of Israel, Mugrabi stated, “Airstrikes would not be enough. I call on the Prime Minister and demand immediate intervention to save the Druze in Syria.” He added, “I want to see the Armoured Corps on the ground before this reaches us.”
Mugrabi also highlighted the threat posed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, quoting his warning, “Our eyes are set on Jerusalem,” implying a potential escalation towards Israel if the situation is not addressed swiftly.
The Druze community, whose origins trace back to the Biblical figure Jethro (Shuaib), has significant populations in southern Syria, particularly in the provinces of Quneitra, Da’ara, and Sweida, with around 40,000 Druze living under Israeli protection. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the demilitarization of southern Syria, which hosts an estimated 700,000-800,000 Druze—about 4% of the Syrian population—mostly living in southwestern regions near Israel and Jordan.
The tensions between the Druze and Sunni communities in Syria continue to escalate, with Israeli officials on high alert regarding the potential spillover of violence into their territory.
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