JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL
The Israeli army said on Saturday that 12 of its fighter jets bombed dozens of targets in Syria overnight, including military infrastructure, in a new brazen violation of the Arab country's sovereignty.
In a statement, the army said: “Overnight, 12 fighter jets attacked dozens of military infrastructures and combat assets throughout Syria.”
It declared that the targets included "anti-aircraft artillery and a surface-to-air missile platform" and threatened to continue its offensive in Syria, claiming "to eliminate any threat in the region."
At least one person was killed and four were injured late Friday in Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Syria, challenging international and regional demands to stop aggression on the country.
The Syrian state news agency, SANA, reported that Israeli warplanes carried out a raid in the vicinity of Shatha village in Hama province in the northwest, injuring four people.
The strikes on the outskirts of Harasta in the Damascus countryside province in the southwest left one dead, said SANA.
The broadcaster added that more airstrikes hit areas near the towns of Muthabin and Izraa in Daraa province in the south.
The strikes come hours after Israeli warplanes struck an area in Damascus near the presidential palace, indicating a new escalation against Syria.
Israeli officials claimed the strike was a message against the presence of armed groups near southern Damascus and any potential threat to the Druze community.
The timing of the strike is seen as particularly provocative, coming hours after prominent Druze community leaders released a video reaffirming their commitment to Syria’s unity and rejecting any form of division or separatism.
Observers said the strike seeks to exploit sectarian divisions, especially within the Druze community, to justify intervention and push for fragmentation.
Damascus has repeatedly affirmed that all religious and ethnic groups in Syria are equal in rights and representation.