By: TPA News Desk | editor@thepointafricanews.com

Israel launched a series of rare and heavy airstrikes deep into Damascus on Wednesday, targeting the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters and a military site near the Presidential Palace. The dramatic escalation followed reports of Syrian security forces moving out of Sweida, a predominantly Druze city, after days of intense violence that left scores of the minority community dead, prompting Israel to declare its intervention was aimed at protecting its “Druze brothers.”

The clashes in Sweida, in southern Syria, have raged since early this week, pitting elements of the Druze minority against various factions, including Bedouin tribes, with Syrian government forces reportedly intervening. The violence has been particularly brutal, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting that as of July 16, the overall death toll from the southern Syria unrest had climbed to 248, including 92 members of the Druze minority. Alarmingly, 21 Druze civilians were reportedly killed in summary executions by government forces, according to the monitor.

On Wednesday, amidst a newly announced ceasefire, convoys of Syrian government forces were observed beginning to withdraw from Sweida. This withdrawal followed accusations from local witnesses that government troops, initially deployed to quell the fighting, had instead joined forces with Bedouin groups in attacking Druze fighters and civilians.

In response to the escalating crisis and the direct appeals from Druze leaders for international protection, Israel dramatically intensified its military operations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unequivocally stated, “The IDF is working, the Air Force is working, other forces are working. We are working to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime’s gangs.” Israeli officials warned Damascus to “leave the Druze in Sweida alone,” threatening further “painful blows” unless Syrian forces fully withdrew from the region. The precision strikes in the heart of the Syrian capital mark a significant shift in Israel’s operational stance, underscoring the high stakes involved in the protection of the Druze community, with whom Israel shares deep historical and familial ties..