Israeli warplanes launched more than 20 raids targeting military sites across Syria overnight Friday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This comes after Israel had previously announced a strike near the presidential palace in Damascus.

The official Syrian news agency, SANA, reported that a civilian was killed in the raids, while the Israeli military confirmed that it targeted military infrastructure around Damascus and other areas of Syria, with which Israel remains at war.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which maintains an extensive network of sources on Syrian soil, reported "more than 20 Israeli raids on Daraa, the Damascus countryside, and Hama, targeting warehouses and military centers," in addition to raids on the Hama and Latakia countrysides.

The Observatory described the raids as "the most violent since the beginning of the year."

AFP correspondents in the Syrian capital reported hearing the roar of aircraft and several explosions.

SANA reported that "a civilian was martyred as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the outskirts of Harasta city in the Damascus countryside."

Since the fall of ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel, which views the new authorities in Damascus with suspicion, has carried out hundreds of attacks on military sites in Syria, justifying this by saying it seeks to prevent weapons from reaching the new authorities, which it describes as "jihadist."

Israel also sent forces to the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights.

"A clear message"

An Israeli airstrike targeted Damascus early Friday morning, reverberating throughout the capital, according to AFP correspondents and residents.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on the X platform that “warplanes raided… the area adjacent to the Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa Palace in Damascus.”

In a statement, the Syrian presidency condemned the bombing, which it said targeted the presidential palace, considering it "a dangerous escalation against state institutions and sovereignty."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned "Israel's violations of Syria's sovereignty," adding, through his spokesperson, that "it is imperative that these attacks cease and that Israel respect Syria's sovereignty."

These raids follow clashes between Druze militants, security forces, and fighters affiliated with the Syrian government near Damascus and in the south of the country, along the border with Israel. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, clashes left more than 100 people dead in two days.

Following the raid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a joint statement with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, said: "This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow the deployment of (Syrian) forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community in any way."

"stage"

The Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli airstrike near Damascus, describing it as a "blatant aggression against Syria's sovereignty."

Hours after Israel announced it had launched airstrikes on Damascus, the German Foreign Ministry declared in a statement that "Syria must not become a theater for tensions in the region."

On Thursday, Israel renewed its threats, with Katz warning that "if attacks on the Druze resume and the Syrian regime fails to prevent them, Israel will respond with great force."

Following the overthrow of Assad, who had presented himself as a protector of minorities in Syria, armed Druze factions, which are not united under a single umbrella, failed to reach a full agreement with the new authorities. However, hundreds of fighters from two major factions joined the ranks of the General Security and the Ministry of Defense.

The Druze are distributed between Lebanon, Syria, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.

On Friday, Sharaa met in Damascus with Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who had called on his sect in Syria on Wednesday to "reject Israeli intervention."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that four Druze were killed in a drone strike that hit a farm in Kanaker in southern Syria.

"fear"

Clashes began Monday night in Jaramana and spread the next day to Sahnaya, two predominantly Druze and Christian towns near Damascus. Tensions also spread to the southern province of Sweida.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Druze residents said that government fighters and security personnel attacked the two cities following the spread of an audio recording deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad. They clashed with Druze militants in the area.

Over the course of two days, clashes left more than 100 people dead, including Druze militants on one side and security personnel and fighters affiliated with the government on the other, in addition to 11 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On Thursday evening, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, the most prominent spiritual leader of Syria's Druze community, denounced an "unjustified genocidal attack" against his community, demanding "the immediate intervention of international forces to maintain peace, prevent the continuation of these crimes, and halt them immediately."

The authorities accused "outlaw groups" of provoking the clashes by launching attacks on their forces.

The new authorities pledged to protect all sects amid concerns among minorities, while the international community urged the inclusion of all components in the transitional phase.

The escalation against the Druze comes more than a month after bloody violence in the Syrian coastal region, during which approximately 1,700 people were killed, the vast majority of them Alawites. This highlighted the challenges facing the administration of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Following two truce agreements between Druze representatives and government officials, security forces deployed to Sahnaya and reinforced their security measures around Jaramana on Thursday night. According to authorities, the agreement stipulated "the immediate surrender of heavy weapons and an increased deployment of General Security forces in the city."

But Arej, a 35-year-old resident of Sahnaya, said, “But we are afraid,” adding, “A large number of Christians and Druze have fled to Damascus.”

(AFP)