Zürcher Nachrichten - Israel launches new Syria strikes amidst Druze tensions

Israel said the Damascus strike was a "clear message" to the government not to harm the Druze minority, following recent sectarian clashes.

Hours later, Israel staged more than 20 strikes on military targets across Syria, according to the war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The strikes came after Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to Damascus. They urged the new authorities to appoint local officials to government posts in Sweida province, heartland of the Druze religious group.

Their statement followed fighting between Druze fighters and Syrian forces, including government-affiliated groups that killed more than 100 people in Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus and in Sweida, the Observatory said.

An apparent drone strike killed four Druze fighters at a farm in Sweida, the Observatory said. It was unclear who staged the strike, but Syria's official SANA news agency said it was an Israeli attack.

SANA later reported Israel airstrikes near Damascus and in the west, at Latakia and Hama -- where four people were injured -- and in Deraa in the south.

The observatory reported more than 20 night time Israeli strikes overall on the regions, calling them the heaviest since the start of the year.

- Israel sends 'message' -

The early morning blast in the presidential palace area of Damascus was heard across the city.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said "warplanes attacked... the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa's palace in Damascus", referring to the interim president.

In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz called it a "clear message" to Syria's new rulers.

"We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community," they said.

Syria's presidency called the strike "a dangerous escalation against state institutions", and accused Israel of destabilising the country.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Israeli strike as a violation of Syria's sovereignty, his spokesman said.

The UN-mandated Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria expressed concern at the "deadly clashes with sectarian dimensions", and said Israeli air strikes increased the risk to civilians.

After this week's clashes a deal to de-escalate was agreed between Druze representatives and the government, prompting troop deployments in Sahnaya and tighter security around Jaramana.

Syrian officials said the agreement also included the immediate surrender of heavy weapons.

An AFP photographer saw troops taking over checkpoints from Druze gunmen in Jaramana, although no handover of weapons was witnessed.

- 'Outlaw groups' -

Qatar, a backer of Syria's new rulers, and Saudi Arabia condemned Israel's "aggression". A German foreign ministry statement said: "Syria must not become the venue for regional tensions to be played out."

Israel has attacked hundreds of military sites since Islamist-led forces deposed longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.

It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone that used to separate Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.

Israel launched strikes near Damascus on Wednesday and threatened more if violence against the Druze continued.

The unrest was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous. AFP was unable to confirm its authenticity.

Syria's government said "outlaw groups" were behind the violence, but the Observatory and Druze residents said forces affiliated with the new authorities attacked Jaramana and Sahnaya and clashed with Druze gunmen.

- 'Genocidal campaign' -

Mohamad Halawa, a security official in Damascus province, said there was a security cordon around Jaramana where residents would be "under the umbrella of the state and the judiciary".

In Sweida, religious authorities and military factions said after a meeting that they are "an inseparable part of the united Syrian homeland", and rejected "division, separation or secession".

SANA said security forces were being sent to Sweida to "maintain security".

That move came after Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze spiritual leader, on Thursday condemned what he called a "genocidal campaign" against his people.

Syria's new authorities have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network. They have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country, but must also contend with internal pressures from radical Islamists.

On Friday, Sharaa met Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who has urged the minority community in Syria to reject "Israeli interference".

It was the worst bloodshed since the overthrow of Assad, who is from that minority community.

The government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence, and launched an inquiry.

O.Krasniqi--NZN