Israel assaulted a target near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early on Friday, repeating his vow to secure members of the Druze community.It marks the 2nd time Israel has struck Syria in as numerous days, following through on a guarantee to defend the minority group, which was associated with sectarian violence against Sunni gunmen earlier this week, Reuters reported.The Druze spiritual group has fans in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.The strikes reflect Israelsdeep skepticism of the Sunni Islamists who fell Bashar al-Assad in December, posturing a further difficulty to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaasefforts to develop control over the fractured nation.
- Israel struck last night near the presidential palace in Damascus, - Netanyahu stated in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz.
- This is a clear message to the Syrian program: We will not permit (Syrian) forces to release south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze neighborhood.
- The Israeli armed force said in a statement it struck - nearby to the location of the Palace of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus - , without defining the target.
There was no instant remark from Syriasauthorities.Since Assad was ousted in December, Israel has taken ground in the southwest, pledged to protect the Druze, lobbied Washington to keep the neighbouring state weak, and has exploded much of the Syrian armysheavy weapons in the days after he was toppled.Sharaa, who was an al Qaeda leader before renouncing ties to the group in 2016, has consistently sworn to govern Syria in an inclusive method.
Events of sectarian violence, including the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, have actually hardened worries amongst minority groups about the now dominant Islamists.This weekssectarian violence started on Tuesday with clashes between Druze and Sunni gunmen in the predominantly Druze area of Jaramana, triggered by a voice recording cursing the Prophet Mohammad and which the Sunni militants suspected was made by a Druze.More than a dozen individuals were reported killed on Tuesday, before the violence spread to the primarily Druze town of Sahnaya on Damascus - borders on Wednesday.
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