US says it opposed Israeli strikes in Syria
'The United States did not support recent Israeli strikes,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
'We are engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between the two sovereign states,' she said.
She declined to say if the United States had expressed its displeasure with Israel or whether it would oppose future strikes on Syria.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced concern when asked about the Israeli strikes, which included attacking the defense ministry in Damascus.
He later issued a statement that did not directly address the Israeli strikes but voiced broader concern about the violence.
Israel said it was intervening on behalf of the Druze community after communal clashes.
Israel has repeatedly been striking Syria, a historic adversary, since opposition forces in December overthrew Iranian-allied leader Bashar al-Assad.
US President Donald Trump, who spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday by telephone, has sided with Turkey and Saudi Arabia in seeking a better relationship with Syria under its new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
14 minutes ago
- Arab News
Syrian government forces set to reenter Sweida province after renewed Druze-Bedouin clashes
MAZRAA: Renewed clashes broke out overnight between Druze armed groups and members of Bedouin clans in southern Syria, and government forces were preparing to deploy again to the area Friday after pulling out under a ceasefire agreement that halted several days of violence earlier this week, officials said. Government security forces agreed with some of the Druze factions that they would re-enter the area to impose stability and protect state institutions, according to two Syrian officials who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Israel agreed to allow limited access by Syrian forces into the Sweida area of southern Syria for the next two days, an Israeli official said on Friday after days of bloodshed in and around Syria's Druze city of Sweida 'In light of the ongoing instability in southwest Syria, Israel has agreed to allow limited entry of the (Syrian) internal security forces into Sweida district for the next 48 hours,' the official, who declined to be named, told reporters. Syrian government forces had largely pulled out of the Druze-majority southern province of Sweida after days of clashes with militias linked to the Druze religious minority that threatened to unravel the country's fragile post-war transition. The conflict drew airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel before most of the fighting was halted by a truce announced Wednesday that was mediated by the US, Turkiye and Arab countries. Under that agreement, Druze factions and clerics would be left to maintain internal security in Sweida, Syria's interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa said Thursday. The clashes initially began between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes Sunday before government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up taking the Bedouins' side against the Druze. The fighting killed hundreds of people over four days, with allegations that government-affiliated fighters executed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Israel intervened, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and striking the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus in a major escalation of its involvement. The Druze form a substantial community in Israel, where they are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the Israeli military. After the ceasefire and withdrawal of government forces, clashes once again flared between the Druze and Bedouin groups in parts of Sweida province. State media reported Druze militias carried out revenge attacks against Bedouin communities, leading to a wave of displacement. The governor of neighboring Daraa province said in a statement that more than 1,000 families had been displaced to the area from Sweida as a result of 'attacks on Bedouin tribes by outlaw groups.' Meanwhile, Bedouin groups arrived Friday from other areas of Syria to join the fight. On the outskirts of Sweida, groups of them gathered in front of buildings that had been set ablaze. An armed man who gave his name only as Abu Mariam ('father of Mariam') said he had come from the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor to 'support the oppressed.' 'We will not return to our homes until we crush Al-Hijri and his ilk,' he said, referring to a prominent Druze leader opposed to the government in Damascus, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri. 'We have nothing to do with civilians and innocent people as long as they stay in their homes.' The Druze religious sect 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. 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. While predominantly Druze, Sweida is also home to Bedouin tribes who are Sunni Muslim and have periodically clashed with the Druze over the years. The latest escalation began with members of a Bedouin tribe in Sweida setting up a checkpoint and attacking and robbing a Druze man, which triggered tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings. Ahmed Aba Zeid, a Syrian researcher who has studied armed groups in southern Syria, said there is 'no specific reason' for the historic tensions between the groups. 'All of Syria is full of social problems that have no reason,' he said. In this case, however, 'The state exploited the latest problem to try to change the situation in Sweida, and this only increased the scope of it,' he said. Israel's deep distrust of Syria's new Islamist-led leadership appears to be at odds with the United States, which said it did not support the recent Israeli strikes on Syria. The US intervened to help secure the earlier truce between government forces and Druze fighters, and the White House said on Thursday that it appeared to be holding. Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who has worked to establish warmer ties with the US, accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority. With Agencies
Al Arabiya
14 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Israel's Netanyahu called Pope Leo after Gaza church strike: Vatican
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Pope Leo on Friday, the Vatican said, a day after an Israeli strike on Gaza's sole Catholic church killed three people and injured several more. During the call, the pope renewed his appeal for a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza, and expressed his concern over the 'dramatic' humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave, a Vatican statement said. Leo also stressed the urgent need to protect places of worship, the faithful, and all people in the Palestinian territories and Israel, the statement added.
Arab News
14 minutes ago
- Arab News
Vatican: Pope, Israeli PM speak by phone after Gaza church strike
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV emphasized Friday the importance of protecting places of worship in a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following Israel's deadly strike on Gaza's only Catholic Church, the Vatican said. The pontiff also renewed his appeal for negotiations, a ceasefire and the end of the war, while reiterating his concern for the 'dramatic humanitarian situation' in Gaza, it said in a statement.
