A few hours after targeting the surroundings of the presidential palace, the Israeli aviation led new strikes across Syria on the night of Friday 2 to Saturday May 3, the bombardments “The most violent” Since the start of the year, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory (OSDH) said. According to this NGO, which has a large network of sources in the country at war, “More than 20 Israeli strikes have targeted warehouses and military sites in Deraa, near Damascus and in the regions of Hama and Latquié”.
The official Syrian agency Sana announced that a «civil» was killed in the vicinity of the capital, the Israeli army confirming for its part having targeted military infrastructure near the capital of Syria, a country with which Israel is still in a state of war.
During the morning, a military statement said that the Israeli army “Is deployed in southern Syria and is ready to prevent the entry of hostile forces into the Druzes villages zone”, Without giving more details on the number of Israeli troops in Syria, nor the extent of this deployment.
Shortly after, the UN special envoy for Syria called Israel to stop his offensive without further delay. “I firmly condemn the continuous and growing violations of Syria’s sovereignty by Israel, including multiple air strikes in Damascus and other cities”wrote Geir Pedersen in a press release, asking “Let these attacks cease immediately and that Israel ceases to endanger Syrian civilians and respects international law as well as sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and independence of Syria”.
Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel, who considers the new authorities with distrust, has led hundreds of attacks on military sites in Syria, saying that he wanted to fall into the hands of the new authorities which he describes as “Jihadists”. The Hebrew state has also sent troops to a demilitarized area of the Golan Plateau.
At dawn Friday, Israel announced that he had bombed near the presidential palace of Ahmed al-Charaa, as a warning against any damage to the Druze minority in Syria. What the Syrian presidency described as “Dangerous escalation” was also convicted by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
These facts occurred after denominational violence at the start of the week between armed groups linked to the Syrian power and Druzes combatants who left more than 100 dead near Damascus and in the south, neighboring Israel, according to the OSDH.
According to independent analyst Michael Horowitz, Israel “Hope for both local allies, particularly in the South Syrian, but also weigh in the scale at a time when the future of Syria remains uncertain”.
“It is a clear message sent to the Syrian regime. We will not allow forces [syriennes] are dispatched to the south of Damascus or threaten the Druze community in any way ”, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his Minister of Defense said Israel Katz said.
In response, Qatar has castigated a “Clear aggression against sovereignty” of Syria, while Saudi Arabia has “Reaffirmed his categorical rejection of Israeli aggressions undermining stability” of the country. “Syria should not become the playground for regional tensions” warned Germany, calling for the new Syrian power to ensure “Protection of the civilian population” et “All actors” has “The greatest restraint”.
Israel had threatened to act “Force” If Damascus did not protect his Druze community. Since the coming to power, on December 8, of a coalition led by Sunni Islamists, Israel has taken up the cause for the Druze of Syria. This esoteric community, from a branch of Shiite Islam, is also located in Israel and Lebanon.
In this context, President Ahmed Al-Charaa received Lebanese Druze chief Walid Joumblatt, who called his co-religionists in Syria on Friday in Damascus in Syria in Damascus in Syria “Refuse Israel’s interference”.
Update At 12:30 p.m., with the addition of the UN Special Envoy press release for Syria.
