• Israeli warplanes have struck two areas less than 500 metres away from President Ahmad Sharaa’s residence early Friday morning.
• In what appears to be a desperate move to halt Syria’s return to the international community and world stage, Israel has escalated tensions.
Israel bombed areas adjacent to the Syrian presidential palace on Friday, with Syrian reports suggesting Syrian president Ahmad Al-Sharaa had left the palace an hour before the airstrikes.
Two separate Israeli strikes had landed 500 metres from the complex with no reported deaths or injuries.
But where did this all begin, what pretext would Israel use even with its expansionist ambitions to justify an attack on Sharaa’s residence and why now?
The attack comes after tensions in the southwest have escalated between Israel and Syria after bloody clashes between Syrian security military and fighters from the Druze minority sect.
The violence first ignited after an audio clip attributed to a Druze cleric surfaced on social media of insults to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) but was later debunked by the cleric, Druze leaders and the Syrian interior ministry after investigation.
The clip led to clashes last Monday between Druze militants and Syrian soldiers linked to the security forces.
This later led to violence spreading to areas near Damascus with local Druze militia caught in fighting with security forces.
On Wednesday Israel carried out a strike in Syria on what it called an “extremist group”.
This was later followed by more attacks until on Friday an attack less than 500metres from the presidential palace.
Israeli Defence Minister Katz said in a joint statement with Prime Minister Netanyahu: “The air force attack last night on the presidential palace in Damascus, which the Prime Minister and I directed, is a clear warning message to the Syrian regime.
“When Joulani wakes up in the morning and sees the results of the Israeli air force attack, he understands very well that Israel is determined to prevent harm to the Druze in Syria. “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.”
Hours after the attack happened, the new Syrian government was quick to deploy security forces to the western Suwayda province, a mainly Druze province south of Damascus, going against Israeli demands and threats.
In a statement, the presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic said: “The presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic condemns in the strongest terms the bombing of the presidential Palace yesterday by Israeli occupation, which constitutes a dangerous escalation against state institutions and sovereignty.
[…] “The Presidency of the Republic also calls on Arab countries to unify their positions and express their full support for Syria in confronting these attacks, in a manner that ensures the preservation of the rights of the Arab peoples in confronting aggressive Israeli practices.”
Israel has launched this attack under the pretext of protecting the Druze when it has tried to provoke action by hosting and having ties with controversial Druze leaders in Israel who have called for escalation in Syria.
One such individual is Mowafaq Tarif, a Druze who called on Israeli leaders “not to stand by” after sectarian violence erupted near Damascus.
At least 56 people have died in clashes in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana, including both local armed fighters and Syrian security forces.
The tensions seem to be calming down and are not anywhere near in magnitude as the clashes that erupted in Latakia with the old regime remnants in March.
Israel attacking the presidential palace was, however, a massive escalation that could prove to hinder the new Syrian government’s attempt to reintegrate into international institutions and reverse the prospects of investments from international companies.
Only last Thursday, two major French companies, CMA and CGM, signed a 30-year deal with the new Syrian government to modernise and operate Latakia port.
The landmark 30-year agreement worth $260 million includes building a 1.5 km long, 17-metre-deep berth and upgrading port infrastructure to handle larger vessels and boost regional logistics.
Under the terms of the deal, Syria is due to retain 60% of port revenues, while the two French companies, CMA and CGM, will be receiving 40%.
The agreement is Syria’s first major foreign investment since Assad’s ousting and was signed under President Ahmad Al-Sharaa yesterday.
French investment in Syria’s port mean contractors and administrative tasks will likely be done by a good chunk of French employers, meaning Israel could lose all rights and justification to attack the port during and after it is established, as an attack on French citizens will not be accepted by the international community and could cause permanent damages.
The more Syria receives investment, the more the new government is recognised and the harder it becomes for Israel to control and influence what goes on their.
It’s possible Israel’s erratic action to bomb the presidential palace one day after this deal was agreed as a response to growing stability, recognition and prosperity in Syria, and in order to keep Syria weakened, it felt as if causing some kind of deterioration of confidence with foreign investors and nations through the targeting of the pinnacle of Syrian leadership would have been a good way to go about it.
Only last Tuesday Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said: “With God’s help and the valor of your comrades-in-arms who continue to fight even now, we will end this campaign when Syria is dismantled.”
Nonetheless, Israel has very few options to pursue aggression towards the current government of Syria under its current pretext of helping the Druze, for if Israel decides to take a harsher stance and start bombing majority Druze areas to rid the area of Syrian government soldiers, it may draw more of the Druze against Israel, who may deem its actions extremely imperialistic, thus destroying Israel’s only pretext of expansion and military intervention in Syria.
Direct Turkish action of deterrence
After the Israeli bombing of the area around the presidential palace, Israel escalated its bombardment even more and on Saturday carried out 15 air raids in Syria, hitting the capital Damascus at least 8 times.
In a rare move Turkish fighter jets counteracted Israeli fighters, jamming their radars and sending warning signals as they approached.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority confirmed the Turkish interference, reporting that “Turkish aircraft are sending warning signals and jamming Israeli fighter jets to make them leave Syrian airspace.”
Turkey has become increasingly frustrated at Israeli attacks on Syria with numerous statements of condemnation well before this recent escalation.
Ankara believes that attacks on Syrian sovereignty are attacks against its interests and thus has escalated its reaction against Israel, for the first time almost coming into a direct clash.
The aftermath
The situation has since calmed with Druze community leaders agreeing to allow Syrian government forces into their areas and, in some cases, locals have even surrendered weapons.
Netanyahu was forced to cancel his plans to visit Azerbaijan last week after Turkey refused to allow his plane to enter its airspace, likely a reaction to Israels ongoing attacks in Syria.
A deal was struck between Damascus and Suwayda’s religious leadership to calm tensions.
The deal, reached during a meeting that included Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri and other senior figures, calls for the activation of internal security and judicial police, which will be composed entirely of Suwayda residents. The goal is to restore law and order without deploying external forces and creating tension, an approach that speaks to local concerns over autonomy and national integrity.
Tension remains between certain factions of the Druze community and the Syrian government with the so-called “Military Council” in Suwayda, a factional body with ties to former Assad regime officers, opposing the deal with no viable alternative.
The fighting has however come to a standstill for the time being and the hawks in Israels government now seem to have their eyes turned to the complete destruction and take over of the Gaza strip.
