Israel strikes Syria, saying it hit group that attacked Druze minority

Israel said it carried out a strike in Syria against “an extremist group” that attacked members of the Druze community, following through on a promise to defend the minority group as deadly sectarian violence spread near Damascus on Wednesday.

A Syrian Foreign Ministry statement rejected “all forms of foreign intervention” in Syria’s internal affairs, without mentioning Israel, and declared Syria’s commitment to protecting all Syrian groups “including the noble Druze sect”.

It marked the first time Israel had announced a military strike in support of Syrian Druze since Bashar al-Assad was toppled, reflecting its deep mistrust of the Sunni Islamists who replaced him and posing a further challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to establish control over the fractured nation.

A Syrian Interior Ministry source told Reuters Israeli drone strikes targeted government security forces, killing one of their members, in the mainly Druze town of Sahnaya on Damascus’ outskirts.

The Druze adhere to a faith that is an offshoot of Islam and have followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.