Syria, Israel and Druze
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The Israel Defense Forces said it struck "the entrance" of Syria's military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday.
Israeli leaders said they launched attacks on Syria this week to protect members of the Druze religious group in the country’s south, amid clashes in the area.
An Israeli military official said, "we are reinforcing forces in the Golan Heights and along the border, ready for a multitude of scenarios."
Israel has been bombing Syrian government forces who intervened in clashes in a region controlled by the Syrian Druse minority, which Israel pledged to protect.
Israel said its military struck several tanks in southern Syria, as clashes between Bedouin gunmen and Druze militias left dozens dead and injured.
"If Israel feels that a certain leader...is an evident threat to its national security, it will operate," a former Israeli envoy told Newsweek.
DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Powerful airstrikes shook Damascus on Wednesday, targeting the defence ministry as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw.
Hundreds of Druze from Israel pushed across the border in solidarity with their Syrian cousins they feared were under attack. Many then met relatives they had never seen before.