Israeli Military Strikes Near Syrian Presidential Palace Following Sectarian Clashes
DAMASCUS, Syria — The Israeli air force carried out strikes early Friday near the presidential palace in Damascus, just hours after warning Syrian authorities against advancing toward Druze-populated villages in the country’s south.
The airstrikes followed several days of intense clashes between pro-government forces and Druze fighters near the capital. The violence resulted in dozens of casualties, including both dead and wounded.
In a statement, the Israeli military confirmed that its fighter jets targeted an area adjacent to the palace of Syrian President Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus. No additional details were provided.
Pro-government Syrian media reported that the Israeli airstrike landed near the People’s Palace, a prominent government complex situated on a hill overlooking Damascus.
The Druze community, which has been at the center of recent tensions, is a small religious minority that emerged in the 10th century as an offshoot of Ismailism, a sect within Shiite Islam. Of the estimated one million Druze worldwide, more than half reside in Syria. Significant Druze populations also live in Lebanon and Israel, particularly in the Golan Heights—a region Israel seized from Syria during the 1967 Mideast War and later annexed in 1981. Within Syria, Druze communities are concentrated in the southern province of Sweida and in certain suburbs of Damascus.
