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ISRAEL CARRIES OUT POWERFUL STRIKES ON SYRIAN CAPITAL DAMASCUS

Israel has carried out a series of powerful strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus, escalating a campaign it says is in support of an Arab minority group involved in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces. At least three people were killed and 34 others were injured in the attacks, the Syrian health ministry said.

The Syrian government has strongly condemned Israel for striking several government buildings in Damascus, calling the attacks a “dangerous escalation.” “This blatant attack, which comes within the context of a systematic policy pursued by the Israeli entity to ignite tension, create chaos, and undermine security and safety in Syria,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Syria said it will “reserve its full legitimate rights to defend its land and people by all means guaranteed by international law,” the statement added. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz shared footage of the attacks, saying “the painful blows have begun.”

A military official confirmed Israel had targeted the Ministry of Defense and an area near the presidential palace. Israel says it is attacking Syria to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the center of clashes with government loyalists.

However, another incentive behind Israel’s decision to strike could be related to its opposition to the current Syrian government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously referred to the new leaders of the country as an “extremist Islamic regime” and a threat to the state of Israel.

The United States has expressed concern over the strikes, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying, “We’re talking with both sides, all the relevant sides and hopefully we can bring it to a conclusion but we’re very concerned.”

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed alarm over the continued escalation of violence in Suwayda, condemning all violence against civilians and calling for an immediate cessation of all violations of Syria’s sovereignty.

Several countries in the region, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, have condemned the Israeli strikes in Syria. Turkey called Israel’s strikes “an act of sabotage against Syria’s efforts to secure peace, stability, and security.”

The Druze community is concentrated around three main provinces close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the south of the country, and form a majority in the Suwayda province. More than 20,000 Druze also live in the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has called on the Druze community in Israel and the Golan Heights not to cross over the border into Syria, saying “I have one request for you: You are citizens of Israel. Do not cross the border.”

ISRAEL CARRIES OUT POWERFUL STRIKES ON SYRIAN CAPITAL DAMASCUS

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