Israel says struck Syrian army camps after Druze 'attacked'
Israel said it carried out strikes in southern Syria in response to attacks on the Druze community.
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JERUSALEM: Israel's military said Friday (Mar 20) it had struck Syrian army camps in response to what it called attacks against the Druze community in the southern Sweida province, with the Syrian foreign ministry calling it "an outrageous assault".
The Israeli strikes came as war roiled the Middle East after the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28 sparking a war that has engulfed much of the region.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday that clashes broke out between government forces backed by tribal fighters against Druze factions in Sweida province, leaving at least four Druze fighters dead.
The shelling later hit residential neighbourhoods in the city of Sweida, sowing panic and fear among residents, the Observatory said.
"Overnight, the IDF struck a headquarters and weapons at Syrian regime military camps in southern Syria," the Israeli military said.
"This was in response to yesterday's events, in which Druze civilians were attacked in the (Sweida) area. The IDF will not allow harm to come to Druze in Syria and will continue to act for their protection."
The Syrian foreign ministry denounced it as "an outrageous assault on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and called the Israeli justification "flimsy pretexts and fabricated excuses".
The attack, it said, "constitutes an extension of the escalation policy pursued by the Israeli occupation, and a continuation of the policy of interference in internal affairs with the aim of undermining security and stability".
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that "we will not allow the Syrian regime to exploit our war against Iran and Hezbollah to harm the Druze. If necessary, we will strike with even greater force".
Clashes erupted last July in southern Syria between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes.
The Syrian authorities said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses and monitors accused them of siding with the Bedouin.
Israel bombed Syria during the violence, saying it was acting to defend the minority group.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting left more than 2,000 people dead, including 789 Druze civilians who were "summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel".
An official fact-finding committee the government later formed said on Tuesday it had documented the killing of 1,760 people.
The committee announced that it had drawn up "a list of suspects from the (Ministries of) Defence and Interior, Druze factions, and civilians - including Bedouins and tribes - for serious crimes and violations".
After the overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in Dec 2024, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Friday that he was working "to keep Syria away from any conflict," saying that his government is on good terms "with all neighbouring states regionally, as well as internationally".
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