'A dangerous escalation': Syria slams Israeli attack near presidential palace
Israel 's air force struck near Syria 's presidential palace early Friday after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria.
The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded.
Syria's presidency condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it a 'dangerous escalation against state institutions and the soveignty of the state'. It called on the international community to stand by Syria, saying that such attacks 'target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people'.
Friday's strike was Israel's second on Syria this week, and attacking an area close to the presidential palace appears to send a strong warning to Syria's new leadership that is mostly made up of Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
On Thursday, Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticized Syria's government for what he called an 'unjustified genocidal attack' on the minority community.
Early Friday, the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway.
'We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,' the statement said.
In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where fighting occurred earlier this week, security forces deployed inside the area along with local Druze gunmen, and at a later stage heavy weapons will be handed over to authorities. As part of the deal, forces from the defence ministry will deploy around Jaramana without going inside.
The Israeli army said that fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Its statement gave no further details.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strike was 'a clear message' to Syrian leaders.
'We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community," the joint statement said.
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Pro-government Syrian media outlets said that the strike hit close to the People's Palace on a hill overlooking the city.
Over the past two days, the Israeli military said that it had evacuated Syrian Druze who were wounded in the fighting.
The Israeli army said in a statement Friday that a soldier was killed and three were slightly injured in an accident in the Golan Heights. An army statement added that the soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital and that the circumstances of the incident were being investigated.
The clashes broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticizing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric. But cleric Marwan Kiwan said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims.
Syria's Information Ministry said that 11 members of the country's security forces were killed in two separate attacks, while Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people – over the past four days of which 51 were killed in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana – were killed in clashes, among them local gunmen and security forces.
The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria, largely in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus.
Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.
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Euronews
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At the same time, news close to Hezbollah covered the news of Israel's attack on Iran, focusing on the statements of Iranian officials. Egyptian websites merely reported the news from international agencies under straightforward news headlines. Most of them did not analyse or adopt clear positions, which seems to be in line with the editorial policy that tends to avoid taking sides in complex regional conflicts. Haaretz, known for its critical attitude towards the security and political establishment, chose a cautious analytical angle. In its editorial, it steered clear of the "tactical victory" narrative and raised questions about the feasibility of the strike and its future dimensions. The newspaper's analysts questioned whether this operation is a prelude to a broader war that Israel may not be able to contain, or whether it is merely a tactical move to deter Iran from advancing its nuclear programme. 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LeMonde
an hour ago
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Iran says Israel attack a 'declaration of war'
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Euronews
an hour ago
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Israel's strike on Iran's nuclear facilities is a win for global security
The world stands at a perilous crossroads. The Islamic Republic of Iran, the globe's foremost state sponsor of terrorism, is on the brink of acquiring nuclear weapons. This is not a distant threat; it is a clear and immediate danger, particularly to the national homeland of the Jewish people, the State of Israel. Faced with escalating aggression and years of openly declared genocidal intent from Tehran, Israel has begun to act decisively to ensure that the regime will not have the means to carry out its deadly and destructive ambitions. For too long, Iran has operated with near impunity as the engine of global terror. It has built and sustained a vast web of proxy militias and terrorist organisations, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria. With funding, weapons, and strategic direction from Tehran, these groups have sown chaos across the Middle East and beyond, including into Europe. Their targets have included civilians, embassies, oil infrastructure, commercial shipping, and international peacekeeping forces. The regime's violence is not random. It is part of a coherent, ideologically driven campaign to reshape the region, and ultimately the world, through intimidation, instability, and the export of their radical revolutionist ideology which openly calls for the downfall of the West. The Islamic Republic's leaders have declared, time and again, their desire to wipe Israel off the map. They do not hide their intentions; they amplify them, chanting 'Death to Israel', 'Death to America' and 'Death to Britain' in official gatherings, school curricula, and state-run media. Now, imagine that such a regime, with its genocidal rhetoric and extremist ideology were to possess nuclear weapons. This is not simply an Israeli concern. It is a global one. A nuclear-armed Iran would spark a regional arms race, embolden terrorist organisations with a powerful state sponsor behind them and a nuclear umbrella above them, and radically destabilise international security. Israel, more than any other country, understands the cost of inaction in the face of existential threats. It is a nation born from the ashes of genocide, with a solemn obligation to ensure that such horror is never repeated. When Iran races toward the bomb while calling for Israel's destruction, the danger is not theoretical. It is a potential second Holocaust. This is why Israel is taking action. Not out of recklessness, but out of responsibility. Not to escalate conflict, but to prevent catastrophe and massive bloodshed and destruction. Israel's response to Iranian aggression is rooted in the most fundamental principle of all sovereign states: the right, and the duty, to self-defence. Some in the international community may urge restraint or neutrality, but this is not a time for moral equivalence or diplomatic hesitation. This is a time for clarity. When a regime declares its intention to commit genocide, the world must believe it and act accordingly. Those who remain silent in the face of Iran's threats are not neutral; they are complicit. Those who condemn Israel for defending itself while ignoring Iran's decades of provocation have abandoned any sense of moral coherence, and those who call for restraint without addressing the root cause, Tehran's ideology of hate and its relentless march toward nuclear capability, are merely delaying the inevitable, not preventing it. To those who value freedom, democracy, and the sanctity of human life, the choice should be clear. Stand with Israel because it is on the front lines of a global battle between civilisation and barbarism, between the rule of law and the rule of terror. It is not only Israel's future at stake. A nuclear Iran threatens Arab neighbours, western interests in the region, European cities within missile range, and the global economy. The battle being fought now is not confined to the Middle East. Its outcome will shape the future security of the entire international community. Israel does not seek war. But it will not, and must not, wait for another 7 October, or something far worse, to justify its defence. It acts because it must, because history demands it, and because the consequences of inaction are too grave to ignore. Let us be clear, stopping Iran's nuclear ambitions is not a gift to Israel. It is a service to humanity. Every nation that values peace, justice, and the safety of future generations has a stake in this effort. We call on responsible governments, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens everywhere to support Israel's right to defend itself against a regime that openly seeks its annihilation and has the capability to launch nuclear-armed missiles into European capitals. Condemning terrorism, halting nuclear proliferation, and defending innocent lives must not be controversial positions, they must be moral imperatives. In the face of evil, neutrality is not virtue. It is betrayal. This is not the time for silence. This is the time to stand with Israel, as it fights for us all. Sacha Roytman Dratwa is CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), a global coalition of 900 partner organisations committed to fighting the world's oldest hatred. In a dramatic escalation of Middle Eastern tensions, Israel launched last night a sweeping military operation targeting key Iranian infrastructure. Codenamed Operation Rising Lion, the offensive struck more than 100 locations across Iran, focusing on nuclear facilities, military leadership compounds, and air defence systems. The scale and precision of the strikes mark one of the most extensive aerial campaigns in the region in recent years. The confrontation places two of the Middle East's most powerful militaries on a direct collision course. As the world watches anxiously, the fear is no longer about whether hostilities will escalate but how far they might go. A full-scale conflict between Israel and Iran would be profoundly destabilising, not only for the region but for the world due to the military power involved. While Iran boasts numerical superiority in troops, tanks, and artillery, Israel maintains a technological edge, superior air power, and some of the world's most advanced missile defence systems. Furthermore, both countries have demonstrated strength in drone and missile warfare and possess decades of experience in modern, high-intensity combat. The Israeli offensive itself from last night was a display of military might. Over 200 aircraft dropped more than 330 precision munitions, with coordinated strikes on Iran's most sensitive sites. Among the targets were missile manufacturing facilities, residences and offices of nuclear scientists, and command centres of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The Natanz Enrichment Complex in Esfahan Province, central to Iran's uranium enrichment program, was damaged, alongside numerous locations across Tehran. Initial reports from Iran suggest significant losses, too. Among those killed were major general Mohammad Bagheri, chief of the armed forces general staff, and Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation. Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reportedly critically injured. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said it carried out a "large-scale strike" targeting Iran's air defence systems, destroying "dozens" of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers. This suggests Israel is clearing Iran's deterrent capabilities in anticipation of further attacks. Iran responded swiftly, launching over 100 drones toward Israeli territory – most were intercepted by Israel's air defence systems, limiting the impact. Despite the immediate but limited retaliation, Iran's full military potential remains a looming threat for Israel. The country has invested heavily in a vast and sophisticated missile arsenal, including ballistic missiles with ranges exceeding 3,000 kilometres and even hypersonic weapons. These capabilities allow Iran to threaten regional adversaries as well as US bases in the region, and this, so far, has served as a powerful deterrent. Iran is also a regional leader in drone warfare, fielding a diverse fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used for surveillance and strikes. The Islamic Republic has even exported this technology to allies and has begun establishing drone production facilities abroad to support partners such as Russia. Iran can also count on a large standing army, vast reserves, as well as asymmetric warfare through proxies, cyberattacks, and unconventional tactics. Israel, on the other hand, has long been recognised as one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world. Its missile defence systems – including Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow – are among the most sophisticated in the world. It also boasts a powerful cyber arsenal and highly trained intelligence services like the renowned Mossad and Shin Bet, which play a critical role in identifying and neutralising threats before they materialise. The Israeli Air Force is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, equipped with advanced aircraft and precision weapons. Israel possesses 340 combat-capable aircraft, many of them state-of-the-art American models such as the F-35 stealth fighter. Iran, while not far behind in numbers — with 312 aircraft, plus an additional 23 operated by the IRGC — largely relies on ageing Russian-made Sukhoi and MiG jets, many of which are considered outdated by modern standards. In the land forces category, according to Global Firepower Index Israel has 1,370 tanks and 43,407 armoured vehicles, in addition to 650 self-propelled artillery units and 150 rocket artillery systems. Iran surpasses Israel in tank numbers, operating 1,996 tanks and a larger fleet of 65,765 armoured vehicles. However Israel operates its own Merkava series tanks, of which almost half are the most modern Merkava IV series, whereas Iran's are mainly more dated Soviet and updated Karrer models. Israel, meanwhile, has an edge in self-propelled artillery, with 580 units over Iran's 775 rocket artillery systems. Israel's military doctrine emphasises rapid mobilisation, resilience, and technological superiority, all traits that have been shaped by decades of continuous conflict. A full-scale war between Israel and Iran risks igniting a wider regional conflict. Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon, might be drawn in. Israel invaded southern Lebanon in October and has largely neutered the capability of Hezbollah, with a temporary ceasefire taking effect in late November. The fighting could easily spill into Syria, Iraq, and the Gulf, with US assets in the region at risk – American personnel were reportedly evacuated from Baghdad just two days ago. Iran's so-called 'axis of resistance' an informal coalition which includes Hezbollah, Shi'ite militias in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and the overthrown Assad regime in Syria, still provides it with some ability to project force beyond its borders. The potential fallout extends beyond the battlefield. US involvement, whether deliberate or as a result of attacks on its assets, could spiral into a broader international conflict. Europe too may be impacted, whether through direct attacks, cyberattacks, a disruption in global oil flows or as a result of the knock-on effects of threats to the major shipping artery passing along the Gulf of Aden. Refugee crises, economic instability, and rising energy prices are all conceivable outcomes that could impact European countries if the conflict spreads.
