Israel launched airstrikes on Syria’s military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday in response to escalating violence against the Druze minority in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, where sectarian clashes have reportedly claimed nearly 250 lives.
The Israeli Defence Forces confirmed that their jets targeted the entrance of the Syrian regime’s military HQ in the capital. The strike followed a warning from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who accused Damascus of siding with Bedouin militias in recent bloody confrontations with Druze fighters.
“Israel will not abandon the Druze in Syria,” Katz said. “We will enforce our demilitarisation policy, and if Damascus does not heed the message, our response will intensify.”
The airstrikes came just hours after Syrian government forces entered Sweida under the pretext of overseeing a ceasefire. However, witnesses said the troops joined Bedouin fighters in launching coordinated attacks on Druze neighbourhoods, prompting accusations of complicity from Druze groups and local media.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 248 people have died since Sunday, including 92 Druze—28 of them civilians and 21 allegedly executed by government forces. A further 138 government troops and 18 Bedouin fighters were also reported dead.
Tensions between the Bedouin and the Druze communities have long simmered, but the latest wave of violence was triggered by the abduction of a Druze vegetable trader, leading to retaliatory kidnappings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s stance that southern Syria must remain demilitarised, vowing not to tolerate the presence of the Islamist-led government’s forces near the occupied Golan Heights. In line with this, the Israeli military announced it had reinforced its positions along the armistice line.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, described the situation as “an existential battle” for his people.
Syrian state media reported two injuries from the Israeli airstrikes and accused “outlaw groups” of attacking its forces in Sweida. Sporadic gunfire and shelling were still reported in the city on Wednesday, with plumes of smoke visible across several districts.
Analysts note that while Israel’s support for the Druze may reflect genuine concern, it also aligns with its broader strategic goal of pushing hostile forces away from its borders.
The conflict in Sweida continues to unfold amid a broader struggle for power in post-Assad Syria, where new Islamist authorities are increasingly accused of marginalising minority groups.
