Israeli Airstrikes Target Syrian Sites Amid Rising Tensions Over Druze Minority

 Damascus, May 3 — Israeli warplanes launched a series of coordinated airstrikes across Syria late Friday, targeting military installations near Damascus as well as sites in the southern province of Deraa and the north-western region of Hama. The strikes follow a warning from Israeli leaders that the country would intervene militarily to defend Syria’s Druze minority amid escalating violence near the capital.

According to Syrian state media, the air raids resulted in at least one civilian fatality and left four others injured. The latest bombardment marks a continuation of Israeli operations in Syria this week, including an earlier strike near the presidential palace that killed four civilians.

Syria’s newly installed government, led by the militant coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December, condemned the airstrikes as a "dangerous escalation" and accused Israel of violating Syrian sovereignty. The presidency issued a statement decrying the attacks as an assault on state institutions and a deliberate effort to destabilize the country.

In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the military action, stating it was intended to deter the Syrian regime from launching operations against the Druze population. “This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” the statement read.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had struck targets near the presidential complex of President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, although further operational details were not disclosed.

The Druze, a religious minority rooted in a 10th-century offshoot of Ismaili Shia Islam, are primarily concentrated in Syria’s southern Sweida province and the Damascus suburbs. While Israel has declared its intention to protect the Druze population, many Druze leaders have rejected external intervention.

Tensions flared earlier in the week after a controversial audio clip, allegedly defaming the Prophet Muhammad and falsely attributed to a Druze cleric, circulated on social media. The incident sparked sectarian clashes near Damascus, prompting one of the country’s three top Druze religious leaders, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, to accuse the Syrian government of carrying out “unjustified genocidal attacks” on the Druze. He called for immediate international protection, though the other two leaders opted to pursue dialogue with Damascus and rejected foreign involvement.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 56 individuals, including armed Druze fighters and security personnel, were killed in recent clashes in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority suburb of Jaramana.

The Syrian government has denied involvement in the violence against the Druze, but it remains under scrutiny following allegations of atrocities. In March, over 1,700 civilians—predominantly from the Alawite community associated with former President Assad—were reportedly killed by security forces and allied militias.

Since Assad's fall, Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes on Syrian territory, asserting that its actions are defensive measures to safeguard the Druze population and prevent hostile deployments near its border. The IDF has also advanced into parts of the Golan Heights previously designated as a demilitarized zone, occupying key strategic positions once held by Syrian forces.

Some Israeli analysts argue that this evolving strategy is designed not only to weaken the new Syrian leadership but also to cultivate potential allies within the fragmented state. However, critics contend that long-term stability in Syria may better serve Israel’s strategic interests.

In a potentially conciliatory gesture, President Sharaa recently told a visiting U.S. congressman that his administration is open to normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel.

Meanwhile, international condemnation of Israel’s latest strikes has emerged. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, criticized the raids in an interview with Al Jazeera. “The Israeli attacks on Syria are absolutely unacceptable. There is nothing in international law that allows for pre-emptive bombing,” he stated.

As the conflict deepens, the fate of Syria’s Druze community—and the broader regional balance—remains precarious.