Israel Pounds Syria with Its Heaviest Strikes of Year

Israeli warplanes reportedly carried out more than 20 airstrikes across Syria overnight, targeting military positions in Damascus, Latakia, Hama, and Dara’a.

The strikes came just hours after Syria's interim government denounced an earlier Israeli attack near the presidential palace as a “dangerous escalation.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the overnight bombardment was the heaviest since the beginning of 2025.

According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, four people were wounded in the raids on Latakia and Hama, while other strikes hit southern regions, including Dara’a.

In Damascus, an early morning explosion near interim president Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa’s palace echoed through the capital.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed responsibility for the palace-area strike, stating that “warplanes attacked... the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa's palace in Damascus.”

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement claiming the assault was a “clear message” to Syria’s leadership.

“We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” they said.

Damascus officials condemned the attacks as an overt violation of Syria’s sovereignty and warned that Israel was fueling instability.

“This is a dangerous escalation against state institutions,” the presidency said in a statement.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the strikes as a breach of international law, according to his spokesman.

The UN-mandated Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria raised alarm over the Israeli bombings, warning that they added to civilian risk amid ongoing sectarian clashes.

Tensions escalated this week in Sweida province, the stronghold of Syria’s Druze community, after more than 100 people were killed in clashes involving Druze fighters and forces affiliated with Syria’s new government.

An apparent drone strike on a farm in Sweida killed four Druze fighters, though the identity of the attacker remains unconfirmed. SANA reported that Israel was behind the attack.

In response, Druze religious leaders and armed groups reaffirmed their loyalty to Damascus and called on Syria’s new authorities to appoint local officials to govern the province.

Following the violence, Damascus and Druze representatives agreed to a de-escalation deal, leading to troop deployments in Sahnaya and heightened security in Jaramana.

An AFP journalist witnessed Syrian troops taking over checkpoints from Druze gunmen in Jaramana, although no visible handover of weapons occurred.

Security official Mohamad Halawa said a cordon had been established around Jaramana, stating residents would be “under the umbrella of the state and the judiciary.”

On Thursday, senior Druze cleric Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri decried a “genocidal campaign” against his community.

In a statement after a high-level meeting, Druze leaders reiterated their unity with the Syrian state and rejected any attempts at division or secession.

SANA reported the dispatch of more security forces to Sweida to “maintain order.”

Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both backers of Syria’s current leadership, denounced the Israeli air raids as acts of aggression.

Germany also warned against using Syria as a stage for “regional tensions.”

Since the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has intensified illegal military operations in Syria and advanced into previously demilitarized zones near the Golan Heights.

On Wednesday, Israeli jets struck targets near Damascus and issued fresh threats if what it described as attacks on Druze civilians continued.

The unrest was reportedly triggered by the circulation of a controversial audio clip deemed offensive to the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

While Syria’s new government blamed “outlaw groups” for the recent violence, Druze residents and the Observatory reported that HTS-linked militants initiated attacks in Jaramana and Sahnaya.

Syria’s new rulers, with ideological ties to Al-Qaeda-linked factions, have promised inclusive governance but face growing pressure from within their own ranks.

On Friday, interim president Sharaa met with Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who advised Syria’s Druze community to reject “Israeli interference.”

The surge in Israeli strikes follows a broader pattern of aggression. In March, security forces and HTS-affiliated groups were accused of killing over 1,700 Alawite civilians—marking the bloodiest incident since Assad’s fall.