Israel Strikes Near Syrian Presidential Palace Amid Spiraling Sectarian Violence Against Druze Minority

May 2, 2025: Israel launched airstrikes near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus early Friday, escalating its military involvement in the country’s deepening sectarian conflict. The strike follows a week of deadly clashes involving Syria’s Druze minority, with over 100 people reported killed in fighting between Druze militias and pro-government forces.

The attack, the second by Israel this week, was described as a direct warning to Syria’s transitional government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which Tel Aviv accuses of failing to protect minority communities, particularly the Druze.

“This is a clear message to the Syrian regime: We will not allow [Syrian] forces to deploy south of Damascus or pose any threat to the Druze community,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement issued jointly with Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The violence has sparked outrage among Druze leaders. Syria’s top Druze cleric, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, condemned the killings as part of a “genocidal campaign” and called for immediate international intervention to “maintain peace and prevent the continuation of these crimes.”

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged the global community to act, stating: “The international community must fulfill its role in protecting minorities in Syria – especially the Druze – from the regime and its gangs of terror.”

Israel has long expressed support for the Druze, who share religious and military ties with the state. The Druze community, a 10th-century offshoot of Shia Islam, resides primarily in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, with many Druze serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.

The Syrian transitional government, formed after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December, is now grappling with escalating sectarian divisions. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani responded to the Israeli strikes and international criticism by emphasizing “national unity” as the only path to peace.

“Any call for external intervention, under any pretext or slogan, only leads to further deterioration and division,” he posted on X.

The unrest follows a series of violent events, including the massacre of over 1,700 Alawite civilians in March by security forces and allied groups, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Alawites, like Assad, are concentrated in Syria’s coastal regions and have increasingly become targets in the post-Assad power struggle.

As violence intensifies across sectarian lines, the al-Sharaa government faces its gravest challenge yet — one that may determine the fragile state’s survival.