Israel conducted an airstrike near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus early Friday. Targeting areas close to the residence of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

No casualties have been reported from strike, which Israel described as a “warning” to Syrian authorities to halt attacks on the Druze minority in the country’s south.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement calling the strike a “clear message” to Syria’s leadership.

They emphasized that Israel will not tolerate Syrian government forces advancing toward Druze villages south of Damascus or any threats to the Druze community. “We will not allow a withdrawal of forces from south of Damascus or any danger to the Druze,” they stated.

The airstrike followed days of deadly sectarian clashes between Syrian security forces and Druze fighters in the Damascus suburbs of Jaramana. And Sahnaya as well as in Sweida province, a Druze stronghold. UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 102 deaths. Including 30 government loyalists, 21 Druze fighters, and 10 civilians, among them Sahnaya’s former mayor, Husam Warwar.

The violence erupted after a controversial audio recording. Falsely attributed to a Druze cleric and deemed offensive to Islam, sparked tensions in Jaramana.

Syrian Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri condemned the attacks as an “unjustified genocidal campaign.” And called for international intervention to protect the community.

Syria’s Druze, numbering over half a million, primarily reside in Sweida and Damascus suburbs. The community, an ethnoreligious group rooted in Ismaili Shia Islam has faced increasing insecurity since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.

Syria’s presidency denounced the Israeli strike as a “dangerous escalation,” rejecting foreign interference while pledging to protect all Syrian communities, including the Druze. The Syrian foreign ministry echoed this, asserting its “unwavering commitment” to safeguarding members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In Israel, Druze leaders expressed gratitude for the intervention. Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community. Thanked Netanyahu for the strike, noting it sent a “deterrent message” to Damascus. However, some Syrian Druze remain wary of Israel’s involvement viewing it as an infringement on Syrian sovereignty.

Read more: Jerusalem Wildfires Spark Mass Evacuations and International Aid Request

The United Nations, through Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Expressed deep concern over Israel’s airstrikes and called for restraint to prevent further escalation.

Fragile Ceasefires and Ongoing Tensions

Ceasefires were reportedly established in Jaramana and Sahnaya, with Syrian security forces deploying to restore calm. However, sporadic clashes persist, particularly in Sweida, where Druze fighters have resisted government efforts to disarm them.