Tensions in the Middle East took another alarming turn on Wednesday as an Israeli airstrike struck an area near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus, escalating an already volatile situation. The strike followed earlier Israeli attacks near Syria’s defence ministry headquarters, as the crisis in the Druze-majority city of Sweida deepens.
Live images captured plumes of smoke billowing over Damascus as jets roared across the sky. A Reuters reporter witnessed the strikes, which Israeli officials said targeted military installations that had allegedly failed to protect Syria’s Druze population from government and militia violence.
A stark warning was issued to the Syrian regime by the Israeli defense minister
The Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, issued a stark warning to the Syrian regime, demanding a full withdrawal of forces attacking Druze communities. “We will not allow a massacre of Druze in Syria,” Katz said, as Israel vowed to continue operations in Sweida until the assaults stopped.
Inside the besieged city, families are terrified. “We’re surrounded. We hear fighters screaming. We’re so scared,” said a man reached by phone, trying to hush his children as shelling echoed in the background. “We’re just praying someone hears us.”
Read more: Ireland becomes first European country to ban Israeli products
The Druze is a religious minority with roots across Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, have found themselves trapped between warring sides. What began as tensions between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes escalated when Syrian troops intervened—only to clash with Druze militias themselves.
President Ahmed al-Sharra facing mounting criticism
Despite recent outreach to the West, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa now faces mounting criticism. His promise to protect minorities has been overshadowed by reports of government forces looting homes in Sweida, burning properties, and attacking civilians.
As violence escalated, Israeli Druze broke through the border fence in a desperate bid to reach relatives. “My family is in Syria. My wife, my uncles… They were kicked out, their homes burned,” said Faez Shkeir, his voice breaking with emotion. “But I can’t do anything.”
The US has urged restraint. “All parties must need to step back,” US Syria envoy Tom Barrack claimed, condemning violence against civilians and calling for dialogue.
Until now, approximately one hundred and sixty people have reportedly been ruthlessly died in the fighting. As artillery pounds Sweida and diplomatic tensions escalate, the fate of the city—and the region is not certain.