US expresses “deep concern” over Israeli strikes in Damascus, Syria
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed deep concern over recent Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, Syria, which killed one person and injured at least 18, according to the Syrian health ministry.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military launched a fresh round of strikes near the Syrian army and defense ministry headquarters in Damascus, as reported by state-run Syrian TV. This came shortly after Israel warned against attacks targeting the Druze community in southern Syria.
Tensions have been escalating in the Druze-majority city of Sweida, where Syrian government forces clashed with Druze fighters on Tuesday. Witnesses reported that government troops teamed up with Bedouin groups in assaults against Druze fighters and civilians across the city.
This recent violence marks the worst outbreak in Syria since clashes between government forces and Druze fighters earlier this year in Sweida and near Damascus, which left over 100 dead.
Following Rubio’s statement, reports emerged of a new ceasefire agreement to end days of fighting between Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups in Sweida. Syrian state news agency SANA quoted an Interior Ministry official saying security checkpoints have been set up in the city, and that it is now fully under government control. There was no immediate response from Druze leaders, and previous ceasefires have often collapsed quickly.
According to AFP, citing a monitoring group, the death toll from the recent violence in southern Syria has now exceeded 300.
The Druze are a distinct Arab religious community of around one million people living mainly in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. Throughout Syria’s decade-long civil war, the Druze in Sweida province have often found themselves caught between government forces and extremist groups.
An Israeli military official stated that Israel will not allow the Syrian army to establish a military presence along their shared border and vowed to protect the Druze population in southern Syria from attacks.
The official added that Israel is in close contact with the United States regarding the situation and is prepared for any outcome. He criticized the Syrian army, saying it “was part of the problem, not the solution” and failed to protect the Druze minority.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described the military headquarters targeted in Damascus as “the location from which Syrian regime commanders direct combat operations and deploy forces to the As-Suwayda area.” They also struck a military site near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, according to a statement posted on Telegram.