'Israel' bombs Syrian admin. citing threats to Druze minority
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The strikes reportedly hit positions near Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, a town southwest of the capital where clashes have been reported between armed Druze and Syrian security forces.
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Members of Syria's security forces deploy during an operation on the outskirts of the town of Sahnaya, south of Damascus, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Clashes earlier in the area left at least 11 people dead, a day after heavy exchanges of fire between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana killed 10 (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Israeli forces carried out a series of airstrikes on the outskirts of Damascus on Wednesday, claiming the operation aimed to prevent an attack on Syria's Druze population.
The strikes reportedly hit positions near Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, a town southwest of the capital where clashes have been reported between armed Druze and Syrian security forces.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military stated that the operation targeted an "extremist group" preparing to assault Druze civilians in Sahnaya. Channel 14 confirmed that the Israeli Air Force had launched four separate strikes "to send messages regarding the need to protect the Druze."
On a related note, Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Israel Katz, said they expected the Syrian government to intervene to stop such threats.
The narrative aligns with "Israel's" long-documented practice of weaponizing Druze identity for geopolitical ends, particularly in the occupied Golan Heights, where Druze communities continue to reject Israeli annexation.
A military source later revealed that the Israeli strikes targeted a drone launch site and weapons cache belonging to Syria's Ministry of Defense in the Daraya orchards.
Another source confirmed the use of Israeli drones and noted that at least two individuals were killed in the strike. Additional UAVs were observed entering Syrian airspace from the occupied Golan, heading toward the confrontation lines south of Damascus.
#BreakingNews 🇮🇱
— Batu Han (@19BaTHaN19) April 30, 2025
Israeli warplanes have been conducting intensive flights in Syrian airspace.pic.twitter.com/OcDC09MH84
A Syrian interior ministry official described the broader operation as an attempt to reassert state authority in the face of escalating violence by armed groups operating autonomously.
Syria's official news agency SANA quoted the Rural Damascus Security Director as saying that a security operation in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya had concluded, with General Security forces deployed "to ensure the restoration of security and stability."
However, the situation on the ground remains highly volatile, with ongoing reports of violence and clashes between armed Druze and Syrian security forces.
Read more: 'Minutes to leave': Alawites purged from Damascus neighborhoods
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 22 people were killed amid the Sahnaya violence, including six individuals from the Druze community and sixteen from security forces or affiliated units.
