Israel confirms strike near Syria's presidential palace in support of Druze community

JERUSALEM/DAMASCUS -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement on Friday that Israel attacked overnight near the presidential palace in Syria's capital, Damascus.

The strike followed the deadly clashes that intensified earlier this week between local Druze fighters and pro-government forces south of Damascus.

"This is a clear message to the Syrian regime," the Israeli statement said. "We will not allow the move of forces south of Damascus and any danger to the Druze community."

Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Israeli airstrikes targeted early Friday a site near the Syrian presidential residence in Damascus, causing loud explosions but no immediate casualties.

The observatory described the strikes as a "warning message" as they took place near one of the most fortified and symbolic locations of the Syrian government.

The Syrian authorities have yet to comment on the Israeli air raids.

Amid the sectarian unrest, two wounded Druze Syrians were evacuated on Thursday to Ziv Medical Center in Safed in northern Israel for medical treatment. On the same day, Katz warned of harsh responses if clashes with the Druze community continue in Syria.

Before dawn on Friday, hundreds of Israeli Druze protesters demonstrated in front of Netanyahu's private residence in Israel's northern coastal town of Caesarea, demanding that the Israeli army intervene and protect the Druze in Syria, according to reports by Israeli media outlets.

Earlier on Thursday night, thousands of Druze residents took to the streets in northern Israel, blocking major highways.

According to a SOHR update on Thursday, the death toll from two days of sectarian clashes near Damascus has climbed to 101, including nine field executions.

Druze people primarily live in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, with smaller groups in Jordan. Israel has been working to solidify ties with the Druze community since expanding its territorial control near the border with Syria and in the Golan Heights following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024.