Israel launches further air strikes on Syria amid Druze tensions
Israel launched around 20 air strikes on Syria late on Friday in what the country's new rulers branded as a "dangerous escalation".
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel hit military targets across Syria in the "heaviest" bombardment so far this year.
The Sana news agency reported Israeli air strikes near Damascus and in the west, in Latakia and Hama, as well as in Daraa in the south.
According to the agency, one civilian was killed at Harasta near Damascus and four others were wounded near Hama.
The latest wave of strikes came hours after Israel targeted an area near the Syrian presidential palace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the attack was intended to send a "message" to the nascent Syrian government against deploying forces south of Damascus.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
They also said the attack was intended to deter threats against the country's Druze minority, which Israel claims it is committed to "protecting" from attacks.
Deadly clashes broke out last week between pro-government fighters and local Druze gunmen, resulting in the killing of dozens of people south of Damascus.
The tensions were in part over a now-debunked audio clip of a Druze cleric allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
Since rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has ramped up attacks across Syria, including dozens of air strikes and a major ground incursion.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly issued threats against the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Amid the unrest, Israel launched drone strikes on Wednesday targeting the countryside around the Syrian capital and issued further threats of attacks, claiming it was acting in defence of Druze civilians.
The Israeli military stated that its chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, had instructed forces to prepare for strikes against "targets in Syria" should the violence against the Druze community continue.
Historically, Syria’s Druze have kept some distance from the central state, even before the Assad dynasty and today’s new government.
They live primarily in Sweida, the country’s southernmost governorate along the border with Jordan, as well as in Damascus suburbs further north.
Turkey, seen as Damascus' closest ally, has accused Israel of trying to further ignite turmoil in the region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Wednesday that Israeli attacks were an unacceptable provocation and that he would meet US President Donald Trump face to face as they "understand each other" regarding policies in Syria.
"On issues we think differently, our search for a compromise on a reasonable basis will surely continue," he said, praising their previous contacts as "sincere, fruitful and friendly".
For months, Israel has lobbied the US to keep Syria weak and decentralised, and on Tuesday Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed that the war on Gaza would only end when "hundreds of thousands" of Palestinians are forcibly displaced and Syria is dismembered.
middleeasteye.net