The dawn strike came hours after top Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to the Syrian state, rejecting calls for separation. In a joint statement, Druze leaders urged the government to empower the interior ministry and judiciary in their stronghold of Sweida province, by appointing local officials to key posts.
The statement followed sectarian clashes this week between Druze fighters and Syrian forces, including government-affiliated groups, near the capital. At least 102 people were killed in the clashes, which took place in Jaramana and Sahnaya, as well as in Sweida, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
A de-escalation agreement was reached between Druze representatives and the government on Thursday, leading to troop deployments in Sahnaya and tightened security around Jaramana.
Syrian officials said the deal included the immediate surrender of heavy weapons and an expanded General Security presence, though AFP photographers reported seeing troops taking over checkpoints from Druze gunmen without witnessing any handover of weapons.
In a statement, Israeli army spokesman said warplanes had attacked “the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa's palace in Damascus,” referring to Syria’s interim president. An explosion from the vicinity of the presidential palace was heard across the capital, AFP reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a statement claiming the strike a “clear message” to Syria’s new rulers.
Reporting from Damascus on Friday afternoon, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said the Israeli attack “hit in the vicinity of the presidential palace” but caused no damage.
“The Israelis are calling it a warning shot, saying that the Syrian government needs to protect the Druze community. But that has been met with cynicism from senior Druze leaders, who say they don’t need Israel to help protect them,” Khan explained.
Druze residents in Syria’s capital expressed anger at the ongoing strikes. Ahmed, a 55-year-old who withheld his surname, said the blast woke his family. “Unfortunately, we’ve gotten used to explosions and Israeli strikes in Damascus. Curse them,” he said.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria since rebels forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December. The strikes have targeted military sites, and Israel has also invaded a demilitarized buffer zone along the occupied Golan Heights, once a separation line between Israeli and Syrian forces.
Israel carried out strikes near Damascus again on Wednesday, using reports of violence against the Druze as a pretense for further attacks. The unrest had been sparked earlier by an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen, which was deemed blasphemous.
While the Syrian government accused "outlaw groups" of inciting violence by attacking their forces, the SOHR and local Druze residents said forces affiliated with Syria’s new authorities clashed with Druze gunmen in Jaramana and Sahnaya.
“The situation is calm, but we are scared. Everyone is terrified. We’ve been through difficult days,” Arij, a 35-year-old housewife, told AFP. “Many Christians and Druze have fled to Damascus, but we are staying here. We have no alternative place.”
Meanwhile, Mohamad Halawa, a security official in Damascus province, said a security cordon had been formed around Jaramana, with all residents now “under the umbrella of the state and the judiciary.”
In Sweida, Druze religious authorities and military factions met in an extensive meeting to reaffirm their commitment to Syria’s unity. They stressed their rejection of division or secession, calling themselves "an inseparable part of the united Syrian homeland."
The SOHR reported that the Syrian government had sent military reinforcements to the province following Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri’s condemnation of what he described as a “genocidal campaign” against his people, expressing deep distrust toward the government.
His stance toward Syria's new authorities aligns with a hardline current in Suwayda, shared by local military factions, including the Suweida Military Council, a coalition of several armed groups, who now take an adversarial position toward the central government.
The timing of its creation, amid an Israeli invasion in the south, has raised speculation, partly due to its emblems and supporter comments.
Syria's new authorities have promised inclusive governance in the country’s multi-confessional and multi-ethnic society. However, they also face internal pressures from radicals within their ranks.
The violence involving the Druze follows massacres of Alawites in March, when the SOHR reported that more than 1,700 civilians were killed by security forces and their allies. This marked the worst bloodshed since the overthrow of President Assad, who belongs to the Alawite minority.
The government blamed Assad loyalists for sparking the violence by attacking security forces and has launched an inquiry into the events.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online
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