The Israeli fighters affected the presidential palace of Damascus, the Syrian capital, at the beginning of Friday, in what Israel's leaders said was a message to President Ahmed Al-Sharaa who are willing to attack in the depths of his country after a recent wave of sectarian violence.
In the last few days, more than 100 people have died in clashes that involve multiple parties: Sunni Muslim extremists not completely under the control of the government, the forces of the new government and the militiamen from the minority of druse in the country.
Drusa practices a secret religion with its roots in Islam and some of those who live in Syria have links with the community of Druse in Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz defined the “a clear warning” strikes and said that when Mr. Al-Sharaa “wakes up and sees the results of the strike of the jets of the Israeli Air Force, it will understand that Israel is determined to prevent any damage to the druse in Syria”.
In a previous statement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Katz said: “We will not allow a movement of forces from the south of Damascus and any danger to the community of druse”.
Friday's strike was the second time since the violence broke out this week that Israel had intervened militarily in Syria on behalf of Druse.
But the action of combat jets near the headquarters of the power of Damascus was an escalation in his requests that Syrian leaders protect the druse from what they call extremist forces.
It was not immediately clear which targets the Israeli fighters hit on Friday.
In a statement, the Israeli army said that its war planes “attacked the area near the Ahmed Hussein al-Shara palace in Damascus”, referring to the president of Syria.
Al-Shara, a former affiliate of Al Qaeda whose rebellious coalition has overturned President Bashar al-Assad in December, now presents himself as a statesman, but the Israeli leaders have expressed difficulties.
An Israeli military spokesman decreased on Friday to provide more details on what was targeted or destroyed by jets.
The strike has not aroused immediate comments from the Syrian government.
Thursday evening, the representatives of the Syrian government had brought agreements with the leaders of Druse in in an attempt to calm the violence and the leaders in the Sweida region controlled by Drusa, previously reluctant to join with government forces, had expressed opening to do so.
Israel offered to protect Druse in Syria if they are attached in the midst of the tumultuous transition of power in the country and has tried to cultivate relations with the Syrian Druse communities. Many Syrian druses have rejected what the potentially destructive foreign interference consider.
The community of Druse in Israel, however, is pushing to intervene for Israel. On Friday's strike in Damascus came after Druse demonstrators in Israel blocked the highways on Thursday among the growing requests from the members of the community there, some of whom serve in the army, which Israel Act has attracted with force to Syria.
Thursday, the Israeli army declared in a declaration that two Syrian citizens injured by Druse had been evacuated to receive medical care in Israel. The Israeli troops had previously evacuated many other Syrian druse injured in violence.
The Israeli army also said on Thursday that its forces were lined up in the southern Syrian region and “prepared to prevent hostile forces from entering the region and Druse villages”.
Katz, Israel's defense minister, declared Thursday that Israel “replied with great gravity” if the attacks on druse did not stop, stating that the Syrian leadership was aimed at the responsibility of preventing them. “We are busy defending the druse,” he added.
On Wednesday, Israel launched aerial attacks on Syria and threatened to hit government forces if the clashes between pro-government fighters and members of the militia of druses persisted. The Israeli army said that his plane hit a group of “agents” that Israel accused of having “attacked the civil civilians” in the violence widespread around the outskirts of Damascus.
The most recent outbreak of sectarian disorders in Syria began on Tuesday after an audio clip circulated on social media that claimed to be of a cleric druse that insults the prophet Muhammad. The cleric denied the accusation and the Ministry of the Interior of Syria said she was not involved.
However, the armed Sunnite Muslim extremist groups began to attack areas with large populations of druses, including the city of Jaramana near Damascus. Druse Militias replied in force and the government sent the security personnel to repress the unrest.
On Wednesday, the clashes spread in another city on the southern suburbs of Damascus and Sweida, with the fights that continue until Thursday morning.
Five important leaders of Druse have released a declaration on Thursday evening stating that the staff of the Ministry of the Interior and the judicial police “taken from the people” of Sweida “must be activated”, indicating the desire to unite the forces with the government.
They also said that the government forces were lined up to ensure the way from Sweida to the capital. The government also agreed to send reinforcements to protect Jaramana, Druse leaders said.
Thursday the United States Department of State invited the Syrian government to stop sectarian violence and to consider the authors responsible. “The recent violence and inflammatory targeting rhetoric of the Druse community in Syria are reprovable and unacceptable,” said a spokesperson, Tammy Bruce. “Settarism will only sink Syria and the region in chaos and more violence.”
There are more than one million druses throughout the Middle East, mainly in Syria and Lebanon, with some also in Jordan and Israel. Those in the communities of druses, wherever they can be, generally tend to participate in national civil and political life and often serve in the local army, despite maintaining a distinct culture and religious practices.