On July 16, Israel carried out a drone attack on the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense building in Damascus amid the escalation of the conflict in the country. Israel’s armed forces said their actions were directed against Syrian government forces in order to protect a friendly community. About this informs DW.
“The Israel Defense Forces struck the entrance to the Syrian regime’s military headquarters in the Damascus area of Syria,” – said the statement of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Israel has been striking Syria for the third day in a row, saying it is trying to protect the Druze minority. It comes amid a standoff that erupted after Syrian government forces deployed to quell clashes between Druze and Bedouin clashed with Druze forces themselves.
The day before, on July 15, Syrian troops entered the city of Es Suwayda in the south of the country, where clashes took place between Druze and Bedouins. According to the Syrian Ministry of Internal Affairs, more than 30 people were killed and about 100 others were injured during the riots. After the military intervention, the death toll rose to 248, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. One of the Druze spiritual leaders, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, accused the government of breaking the truce and bombing the city. The Syrian army, for its part, said it was only firing back.
On the same day, July 15, the Israel Defense Forces struck Syrian government forces in the Suwayda area. In a statement, the military emphasized that Israel is “committed to preventing harm to the Druze” in Syria, citing “a deep fraternal alliance with our friendly fellow citizens in Israel.”
On July 16, clashes with the participation of the Israeli military were recorded on the border between Syria and the Golan Heights annexed by Israel. Dozens of Druze are reportedly trying to cross the border into Israeli territory, while hundreds of Druze living in the Golan Heights are trying to cross the border in the opposite direction, protesting the Syrian government’s actions.
