ANKARA

Israeli warplanes on Wednesday carried out a number of airstrikes on the outskirts of the town of Ashrafieh Sahnaya in the Damascus countryside, southwestern Syria.

Syrian state news agency SANA said the airstrikes hit several areas around Ashrafieh Sahnaya, but there was no casualties reported.

Earlier, Israel said it carried out a “warning operation” in Syria, targeting an armed group allegedly preparing to attack the Druze community in Ashrafieh Sahnaya.

A joint statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that the strike aimed “to prevent harm to the Druze.”

Israel’s Druze population, estimated at 150,000, mostly holds Israeli citizenship and serves in the military, unlike the 23,000 Druze in Syria’s Golan Heights, who largely reject Israeli citizenship and identify themselves as Syrian nationals.

The Syrian Health Ministry said 16 civilians and security personnel were killed in attacks by “outlawed groups” in the town.

By Wednesday evening, the Damascus countryside security directorate announced the end of its operation in Ashrafieh Sahnaya.

Violence was sparked by the circulation of a voice recording deemed offensive to Prophet Muhammad, triggering sectarian tension and demands for revenge on social media.

Since December 2024, Israel has occupied Syria’s demilitarized buffer zone following the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime, ending the 1974 disengagement agreement without a withdrawal timeline.

Syria’s new administration, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has condemned Israel’s actions as violations of the country’s sovereignty and called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

While Syria emphasizes equal protection for all communities, including the Druze, who constitute about 3% of its population and are concentrated in Suwayda, Israel has claimed that Druze in Syria face attacks, a narrative Damascus views as a pretext for territorial expansion.