Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on March 20 that it struck Syrian army positions in response to attacks that targeted Druze civilians in the southern Syrian governorate of al-Suwayda a day earlier.
The strikes targeted a headquarters and weapons at several Syrian army positions in southern Syria, the military said in a statement.
“This was in response to the events yesterday, in which Druze civilians were attacked in the al-Suwayda area,” it added.
The IDF warned that it will “not allow harm to the Druze in Syria and will continue to act to protect them,” and that it will continue “to monitor developments in southern Syria and will act in accordance with the directives of the political leadership.”
The strikes targeted positions of the Syrian’s army’s 40th Division in the governorate of Daraa, which borders al-Suwayda, according to Syrian media, which said that two bases formerly known as the 12th Brigade in the vicinity of the town of Izraa and the 89th Regiment in the vicinity of the town of Jabab in the northern countryside of the governorate were hit. No casualties were reported.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
Defense Minister Israel Katz commented on the strikes, saying, “We will not allow the Syrian regime to exploit our war against Iran and Hezbollah to harm the Druze. If necessary, we will attack with greater force.”
In a statement released a day earlier, the National Guard in al-Suwayda — a coalition of Druze armed factions reported to be backed by Israel — said that that nine people were killed in attacks carried out by the Syrian army; 12 people were detained at a checkpoint, and seven others were “abducted”; and that rockets and drones were used in the attacks.
I24NEWS reported on the same day that several rockets were launched from southern Syria towards Israel and IDF positions in the occupied Golan Heights.
The Israeli news outlet said that the rockets landed in open areas, far from the border and IDF positions, and didn’t cause any casualties.
The rockets were most likely fired by the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria in response to the ongoing American-Israeli war on Iran, or by the newly-emerging Movement to Deter the Occupation, which does not oppose the transitional government in the country.
The latest strikes were not the first time Israel hit Syria amid the ongoing war on Iran. Over the night of March 16 and 17, the IDF reportedly struck a truck carrying weapons in al-Suwayda.
Reports from last month suggested that the Syrian transitional government was gearing up for an attack against the Druze in al-Suwayda, and following the start of the war on Iran, the country was reportedly warned by Israel against making such a move.
Israel intervened against the Syrian army when it attacked al-Suwayda in July of last year, citing its historic relations with its own Druze community. The attack ended with the death of over 3,000 people, mostly Druze civilians. Over 30 towns in the countryside of the governorate remain under the control of the transitional government.
In recent weeks there were also several reports suggesting that Syria could intervene in Lebanon, with one by Reuters revealing that the United States was encouraging the country to help disarm the group, currently engaged in a confrontation with Israel.
These reports were, however, denied by U.S. special envy Tom Barrack, and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told his Lebanese counterpart, Joe Rajji, — on the sideline of an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia meant to discuss the war on Iran — that the country has “no intention of entering Lebanon or interfering in any way in its internal affairs.”
The Israeli escalation against Syria now may be related to the country’s refusal to join the war on Hezbollah, not just a response to the attacks on Druze in al-Suwayda.
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you know what shitrael remind me of. playing whack a mole. there are infinite moles arising from the ground. there is a finite human capacity to whack them. good luck schlomo. you will forever be banging your empty skull against the wall, and in the end, zionism as a project has failed the jews. nobody in history has ever won against the forces of all humanity against them
why would schlomo care, the idiot goium pay for everything and do 95% of the fighting
the turks are next. the psychopathic israelis can’t tolerate the presence of anyone who could possibly defend themselves in anyway against the pharisees.
the great liar and deceiver continues its ways. it has promised to stop striking hydrocarbon sites, yet ordered the strike on the north pars gas field with the the us. all we cab expect is more lies. israel has one goal. this is to deepen us involvement for zio globalist control of all things.
heaven does not require the assistance of man. free palestine. free iran. free humanity from the systems that destroy it