ANKARA

Qatar and Saudi Arabia strongly condemned an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area near the presidential palace in Damascus on Friday, calling it “blatant aggression” against the sovereignty of Syrian territory.

In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry denounced the strike “in the strongest terms,” reiterating its “full support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the aspirations of its brotherly people for security and stability.”

The ministry also reiterated “Qatar's warning that the repeated aggression by the occupation against Syria and Lebanon, along with its continued brutal war on Gaza, are likely to ignite a cycle of violence and chaos in the region.”

It called upon “the international community to exert pressure on the occupying (Israel) power to comply with international legitimacy resolutions.”

Meanwhile, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reiterating the kingdom's "firm rejection of the Israeli attacks that violate the sovereignty, security, and stability of the Syrian Arab Republic."

In a statement, the ministry stressed the urgent need to put an end to Israel’s violations of international law in Syria and the region, warning that "the continuation of these violations and Israel’s extremist policies heighten the risks of violence, extremism, and regional instability."

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli army carried the airstrike near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital.

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 just hours after prominent Druze community leaders released a video statement reaffirming their commitment to Syria’s unity and rejecting any form of division or separatism.

Observers say the Israeli strike appears aimed at exploiting sectarian tensions, particularly among Syria’s Druze population, to justify intervention and push for fragmentation in the country.

Damascus has repeatedly affirmed that all religious and ethnic groups in Syria are equal in rights and representation.