Israel Carried Out Heavy Air Strikes On Damascus

SAPNewsTL, Syria : Israel carried out heavy air strikes on Syria’s capital Damascus, the US said the fighting would stop soon and Israel destroyed military targets aimed at protecting Druze as violence in Syria involves Druze, Bedouins and government forces.

Marciana Da Conceição Journalis – SAP News – TV

According to information accessed by Sapnews Media through Reuters that on July 16 Israel launched a heavy air strike in Damascus on Wednesday, blowing up part of the Ministry of Defense and hitting near the presidential palace while promising to destroy government forces attacking Druze in Syria and forcing them to withdraw.

The attacks mark a significant Israeli escalation against the Islamist-led administration of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa despite its warming relationship with the US and his administration’s evolving security contacts with Israel.

Describing Syria’s new rulers as barely disguised jihadists, Israel has said it will not allow them to move forces into southern Syria and vowed to protect the area’s Druze community from attack, encouraged by calls from Israel’s Druze minority.

The United States says the war will stop soon. “We have engaged all parties involved in the conflicts in Syria. We have agreed on specific steps that will end this worrying and horrific situation tonight,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media.

Syria said it welcomed efforts to resolve the conflict and called on the UN Security Council to “address the consequences of Israeli aggression”, according to the letter seen by Reuters.

Warplanes Over Damascus

Scores of people have been killed this week, violence sweeping through the predominantly Druze town of Sweida pitting fighters from the Druze minority against government security forces and members of Bedouin tribes.

Reuters reporters heard warplanes flying low over the capital and launching several heavy strikes in the afternoon. A column of smoke rose from the area near the defense ministry. The building was destroyed and littered with rubble.

A Syrian medical source said the attacks on the Defense Ministry killed five members of the security forces.

An Israeli military official said the entrance to the military headquarters in Damascus was damaged along with a military target near the presidential palace. The official said Syrian forces did not act to prevent attacks on Druze and were part of the problem.

“We will not allow southern Syria to become a stronghold of terror,” said Eyal Zamir, Israel’s Chief of Military Staff.

Sharaa faces the challenges of reuniting Syria in the face of deep misgivings from groups who fear Islamist rule. In March, mass killings by members of the Alawite minority exacerbated suspicion.

On Monday, Syrian government troops were sent to the Sweida region to quell fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin gunmen. The troops eventually clashed with Druze militias.

New clashes broke out in the city, according to a Reuters witness, after the Syrian interior ministry and a Druze leader, Sheikh Yousef Jarbou, said a ceasefire had been reached.

Residents of Sweida said they were hiding inside the house. “We were surrounded and we heard fighters screaming … we were terrified,” a resident of Sweida said by phone.

The sound of muffled gunfire could be heard in the background. “We try to keep the kids quiet, so no one can hear us,” the man added, asking not to be identified for fear of reprisal.

Syria’s health minister said dozens of bodies, including fighters and civilians, had been found in the hospital. The Syrian Network for Human Rights says 169 people have been killed in this week’s violence. Security sources put the toll number at 300. Reuters could not independently verify the figures.

Minority

Druze, followers of a religion that is an offshoot of Islam, are scattered between Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

Following calls in Israel to help Druze in Syria, many Israeli Druze crossed the border fence on Wednesday, linking up with Druze on the Syrian side, a Reuters witness said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military was working to rescue Druze and urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border. The Israeli military said it was working to provide insurance for civilians.

Israeli Druze Faez Shkeir said he felt powerless when he saw the violence in Syria. “My family is in Syria – my wife is in Syria, my uncles are from Syria, and my family is in Syria, in Sweida, I don’t like to see them killed. They are being kicked out of their homes, they are looting and burning their homes, but I can’t do anything,” he said.

On Tuesday, a Reuters journalist said they had seen government forces looting and burning houses and stealing cars and furniture in Sweida. One man showed the reporter, the body of his brother who had been shot in the head inside their home.

A Syrian government statement on Wednesday said those responsible for the lawlessness in Sweida would be held accountable. He said the government was committed to protecting the rights of the people in Sweida. Sharaa has repeatedly promised to protect minorities.

SAPNews news culled from Reuters reporting by Khalil Ashawi in Damascus, Maya Gebeily, Yamam al-Shaar and Laila Bassam in Beirut, Steven Scheer and Crispian Balmer, Charlotte Greenfield, Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Tala Ramadan, Ahmed Elimam, Elwely Elwelly in Dubai, Nayera Abdallah; Siyabonga Sishi in Majdal Shams, Jonathan Spicer in Istanbul, Daphne Psaledakis, Trevor Hunnicutt, Katharine Jackson in Washington; Written by Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry and Andy Sullivan; Edited by Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell and David Gregorio