Damascus under fire: Israel expands attacks on Syria under pretext of 'protecting Druze'

Syrian media sources reported that the Israeli regime has launched heavy attacks on certain military sites in Damascus. Reports indicate that the Syrian Ministry of Defense building was targeted, with parts of it being destroyed.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health of the Golan government reported that at least 13 people were injured in today’s widespread Israeli attacks on Damascus, adding that this is only an initial estimate.

At the same time, Israeli media claimed that during a drone strike on the Daraa region, Brigadier General Moammar Ibrahim, commander of the 40th Division’s Artillery Battalion of the Syrian Army, was assassinated.

According to Israeli sources, three other senior commanders from Abu Mohammad al-Julani’s forces — the leader of the rebel groups ruling parts of Syria — were also killed: Khaled al-Zoubi, commander of security in Bosra al-Sham, as well as two other senior commanders, Abdul Fattah al-Musayfirah and Abu Yaqub al-Mahja, in the Sweida region.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz declared today after these attacks that "Israel’s painful strikes on Syria have begun."

According to the Israeli army, within the past 24 hours, the regime carried out 160 airstrikes on Syria, most of which targeted Sweida.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 14 TV reported that the Israeli army is preparing for several days of warfare in Syria and has been redeploying forces from Gaza to the occupied Golan Heights.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who appeared in court today but abruptly left the courtroom citing a security issue, leaving his trial session unfinished, once again posed as a defender of Syrian Druze citizens. Under the false pretext of supporting the Druze minority, Netanyahu continues to pursue Israel’s expansionist and occupation agenda in Syria.

In an attempt to justify the Zionist regime’s aggression on Syrian soil, Netanyahu claimed: "The situation in Sweida and southwest Syria is extremely dangerous. The Israeli military is acting to save our Druze brothers! and to suppress armed gangs.

Background of the Sweida conflict

The recent clashes in Syria’s Sweida Province between the Druze community and forces affiliated with the rebel government ruling from Damascus have escalated to a critical point, rooted in ethnic, religious, and political tensions.

The Julani-led rebel forces entered Sweida, claiming to restore order after deadly clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes. However, the spiritual leader of the Druze called on his people to resist, which further escalated the violence in the city.

Following the rise in sectarian tensions in Sweida and the formation of Druze armed groups, which were accused of separatist intentions by Julani’s forces, Israel entered the scene under the pretense of supporting the Druze and intensified its role in southern Syria with airstrikes on Syrian army positions.

According to analysts, this alleged support stems both from ethnic ties with the Druze of the occupied Golan Heights and from Israel’s broader strategy of creating a buffer zone and weakening the central government in Damascus.