Saturday, May 3 2025 | Time 02:32 Hrs(IST)
WorldPosted at: May 1 2025 10:04PM


Israel conducts rare strike near Damascus, targeting Islamic extremists harassing Syria’s Druze minority

Tel Aviv/Damascus, May 1 (UNI) In a rare attack, Israeli forces conducted a strike near Damascus, Syria, targeting Islamic extremist forces which were attacking Syria’s minority Druze community. The attack was highly condemned by Syrian authorities, who said that the Israeli strike killed at least one security officer and injured several other people.

In a joint statement, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the operation in the town of Sahnaya, southwest of Damascus, was a “warning action” against an unidentified armed group “preparing to continue attacking the Druze population,” CNN reported.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry responded, affirming its “unwavering commitment” to protecting all citizens, including the “honourable Druze community.”

According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, government forces launched a wide-scale operation in the area surrounding Sahnaya to arrest “outlawed gangs” after an unidentified armed group attacked a Syrian government checkpoint late Tuesday, wounding three officers.

Other groups simultaneously opened fire on civilian and security vehicles in nearby areas. Recent violence left at least 11 people dead and dozens injured.

Syrian’s top Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri called for the “immediate intervention” of international forces “for the swift protection of an innocent, defenceless population.” He described the violence against the persecuted minority community as a “campaign of extermination” carried by what he described as Syrian government’s “affiliated extremist gangs.”

Without referring to Hijri’s statement, Damascus rejected all calls for foreign interference, saying that any such action would only worsen the situation.

“Any call for foreign intervention – under any pretext or slogan – only leads to further deterioration and division,” the ministry said in a statement. “Those who call for such intervention bear historical, moral, and political responsibility before the Syrian people and history itself.”

Foreign interventions, it added, “are often pursued at the expense of national interests and serve agendas unrelated to the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

While Israel rarely acknowledges its operations in Syria, it has consistently stated that its military actions are aimed at preventing the transfer of advanced weapons to groups like Hezbollah and disrupting Iran's military presence in the region.​





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