Israel strikes Syria after Druze clashes

3 hours agoSamantha GranvilleBeirutReutersIsrael says it will not tolerate Syrian attacks on the Druze minorityIsrael says it has carried out air strikes on Syrian government infrastructure in the south of the country, in response to what it described as attacks on Druze civilians in Suweida province.In a statement, the Israeli military said it hit a command centre and weapons stored at army compounds overnight."The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will not tolerate harm towards the Druze population in Syria and will continue to operate to defend them," it said.The Syrian foreign ministry denounced the attack as "an outrageous assault on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and called Israel's justification "flimsy pretexts and fabricated excuses".It said the strikes were an escalation that continued Israel's policy of "interference in internal affairs with the aim of undermining security and stability".Israel, which has a sizable Druze minority, has previously framed such strikes as efforts to protect the community across the border. The Druze are a community in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs.Israeli Defence Minister Israel-katz" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="4249" data-entity-type="person">Israel Katz warned of further action, saying Israel would not allow the Syrian government to "exploit" the wider regional war to target Druze communities, and would strike "with even greater force" if necessary.Until now, Syria has largely remained on the margins of the current regional conflict across the Middle East, which started at the end of last month, when Israel and the United States launched coordinated missile strikes against Iran.This latest military action in Syria comes amid escalating violence in Suweida, a predominantly Druze province in southern Syria, where clashes between government forces and local armed groups have intensified in recent days after a group of Druze militiamen attempted to enter government-held territories.A UK-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said fighting broke out after mortar fire landed in areas controlled by Druze groups, before shelling later struck residential neighbourhoods in Suweida city, causing panic among residents.Syrian authorities, however, described a different version of events.The interior ministry said security forces had dismantled an organised criminal network involving car theft and drug trafficking, adding that nine suspects had been arrested in the operation.The unrest follows previous violence in Suweida, where clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes and government forces last July left hundreds dead.Government forces have been accused of siding with tribal groups despite saying they were intervening to restore order.Israel also carried out strikes at the time, saying it was defending Druze communities and enforcing the demilitarisation of southern Syria.While some have raised concerns that Syria could be drawn more directly into the conflict - particularly as Israel increases strikes against Hezbollah in Syria's neighbour Lebanon - analysts say the latest escalation is more closely tied to internal dynamics than regional war.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has made it clear Damascus was seeking to avoid becoming involved."We are calculating our steps with extreme precision and working to keep Syria away from any conflict," he said in a speech after Eid al-Fitr prayers in the capital.