Netanyahu: Israel Attacks Target Near Syrian Presidential Palace

Members of Syria's security forces deploy as a sniper fires during an operation on the outskirts of the town of Sahnaya, south of Damascus, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Israel attacked a target near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early on Friday, reiterating his vow to protect members of the Druze community.
It marks the second time Israel has struck Syria in as many days, following through on a promise to defend the minority group, which was involved in sectarian violence against gunmen earlier this week.
"Israel struck last night near the presidential palace in Damascus," Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz.
"This is a clear message to the Syrian regime: We will not allow (Syrian) forces to deploy south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community."
The Israeli military said in a statement it struck "adjacent to the area of the Palace of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus", without specifying the target. There was no immediate comment from Syria's authorities.
Since Bashar Assad was ousted in December, Israel has seized ground in the southwest, vowed to protect the Druze, lobbied Washington to keep the neighboring state weak, and has blown up much of the Syrian army's heavy weapons in the days after he was toppled.
More than a dozen people were reported killed on Tuesday, before the violence spread to the mainly Druze town of Sahnaya on Damascus' outskirts on Wednesday.