ISRAEL STRIKES NEAR SYRIAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE AMID ESCALATING CLASHES WITH DRUZE FIGHTERS

An Emirati Magazine publication – Released on May 02,2025 | www.emiratimagazine.com

Israel launched an airstrike early Friday near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus, following escalating violence between Syrian government forces and Druze fighters. The strike, the second Israeli attack on Syrian territory this week, came just after Israel warned against threatening Druze-populated areas in the south. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said it was a clear message to Damascus: any threat to the Druze community would not be tolerated.

The clashes, sparked by a controversial audio clip attributed to a Druze cleric, led to intense fighting near Sahnaya and Jaramana, resulting in 56 deaths according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syria’s Information Ministry confirmed 11 security personnel were killed in two attacks.

Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, Syria’s top Druze spiritual leader, condemned the government’s actions as genocidal. The Druze, a religious minority with a strong presence in southern Syria, also have communities in Lebanon and Israel’s Golan Heights.