Israel has launched a series of intense airstrikes on Damascus, Syria’s capital, in a campaign it claims is aimed at supporting an Arab minority group, the Druze. However, Syria strongly condemned the attacks, denouncing them as a “dangerous escalation” and accusing Israel of pursuing a “deliberate policy” to “inflame tensions, spread chaos and undermine security and stability in Syria”. The strikes killed three people and injured 34, according to Syrian officials.
The Israeli military targeted a compound housing the Ministry of Defence and areas near the presidential palace in central Damascus. Additional strikes were carried out further south, including in the city of Suwayda, a mainly Druze city close to the border with Jordan. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 250 people have been killed in Suwayda province during clashes between Syrian government forces and local Druze fighters.
The violence in Suwayda began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes. When government troops intervened to restore order, they ended up clashing with Druze groups, reportedly targeting civilians in some cases. Israel claims its operations aim to protect the Druze minority and strike pro-government forces accused of attacking them. However, Syria rejected this and called the attack a “flagrant assault”.
Marwan Bishara, believes Israel’s motivations go beyond protecting the Druze. “One can go back 75 years, 80 years, and look at Israel since its inception… What has it been? In a state of war. Continuous, consistent state of war, bombing countries, destabilising countries, carrying out genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing… All of it for the same reason — presumably it’s security.” Bishara suggests Israel is taking advantage of the current chaos in Syria to “settle scores” and impose its will on the new leadership.
The Syrian government has condemned the Israeli strikes as a violation of international law, a stance echoed by several Arab governments. Ammar Kahf, executive director of Omran Center for Strategic Studies, believes Israel is trying to prevent the Syrian government from spreading its authority across the territory. “The Israelis are not going to allow the Syrian government to spread its authority all over the territory,” Kahf said. “We are still in the early stages, but this requires all Syrians to come together. For a foreign government to come in and destroy public property and destroy safety and security is something that’s unexplainable.”
Shortly after the Damascus attacks, Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced a new ceasefire in Suwayda, with government troops beginning to withdraw from the area. However, it remains to be seen whether this ceasefire will hold, and what implications it will have for the broader conflict in Syria.