Why did Israel bomb Syria? A look at the Druze and the violence in Suwayda

Israel has launched a bid of aggravated strikes connected Damascus, Syria’s capital, intensifying a run it says is successful enactment of an Arab number group.

Syria, connected Wednesday, powerfully condemned Israeli attacks, denouncing the strikes arsenic a “dangerous escalation.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Israel of pursuing a “deliberate policy” to  “inflame tensions, dispersed chaos and undermine information and stableness successful Syria”.

The strikes killed 3 radical and injured 34, according to Syrian officials.

Here is what we know:

What happened successful Syria connected Wednesday?

Israel carried retired a bid of air strikes connected cardinal Damascus, hitting a compound that houses the Ministry of Defence and areas adjacent the statesmanlike palace.

The Israeli subject besides struck targets successful confederate Syria, wherever fighting betwixt Druze groups, Bedouin tribes, and Syrian information forces has continued for much than 4 days. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, much than 250 people person been killed successful Suwayda state during the clashes.

Israel, which already occupies the Syrian Golan Heights, says its operations purpose to support the Druze number – whom it considers imaginable allies – and to onslaught pro-government forces accused of attacking them. Syria rejected this and called the onslaught a “flagrant assault”.

Where did the attacks happen?

The main attacks focused connected cardinal Damascus: the Defence Ministry, subject office and areas surrounding the statesmanlike palace. Additional strikes were carried retired further south.

Syria’s Defence Ministry headquarters: The compound was struck respective times, with 2 ample strikes astir 3pm (12:00pmGMT), including its entrance, causing structural harm and fume rising visibly implicit the city.

“Israeli warplanes [were] circling the skies implicit the Syrian capital,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said, reporting from Damascus. “There was panic successful the city,” she added.

Near the statesmanlike palace (Umayyad Square): Strikes besides deed areas instantly astir the statesmanlike palace successful cardinal Damascus. Another aerial onslaught landed adjacent the statesmanlike palace successful Damascus.

In a station connected societal media, Israel said “a subject people was struck successful the country of the Syrian regime’s Presidential Palace successful the Damascus area”.

In the south: Israeli drones besides targeted Syria’s metropolis of Suwayda, a chiefly Druze metropolis adjacent to the borderline with Jordan.

(Al Jazeera)

Why did Israel weaponry Syria?

Israel’s aerial strikes followed days of deadly clashes successful Suwayda betwixt Syrian authorities forces and section Druze fighters. The unit began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks betwixt Druze fighters and section Bedouin tribes. When authorities troops intervened to reconstruct order, they ended up clashing with Druze groups – and, successful immoderate cases, reportedly targeted civilians.

The Druze, a tiny but influential number successful some Syria and Israel, are seen successful Israel arsenic loyal allies, with galore serving successful the Israeli military. A ceasefire declared connected Tuesday rapidly collapsed, and warring resumed the adjacent day.

Suwayda’s Druze look divided. One leader, Yasser Jarbou, declared that a ceasefire had been agreed with the Syrian government. Another, Hikmat al-Hijri, rejected immoderate ceasefire. And galore Druze successful Syria bash not privation Israel to intervene connected their behalf.

Israel has its ain considerations and has been attempting to grow its power successful confederate Syria since the autumn of President Bashar al-Assad successful December. Israel has shunned immoderate attempts to travel to a information statement with Syria and has alternatively repeatedly bombed the state this year. Many analysts judge that Israel would similar a anemic Syria implicit a state it believes could perchance endanger it should it turn strong.

Intensifying attacks

Israel, citing a committedness to support the Druze and forestall hostile forces from gaining crushed adjacent its borders, warned Wednesday it would escalate its operations unless Syrian troops withdrew from Suwayda. The state sits adjacent some the Israeli and Jordanian borders, making it a cardinal strategical zone.

“This is simply a important escalation,” Khodr, Al Jazeera’s correspondent, said. “This is the Israeli enactment giving a very, precise nonstop connection to Syria’s caller authorities that they volition intensify specified strikes … if the authorities does not retreat its troops from confederate Syria.”

As portion of its campaign, Israeli forces struck the General Staff compound successful Damascus, which it said was being utilized by elder commanders to nonstop operations against Druze forces successful Suwayda.

Israeli officials said the strikes were besides aimed astatine blocking the buildup of hostile forces adjacent Israel’s frontier.

Shortly aft the Damascus attacks, Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced a caller ceasefire successful Suwayda. According to authorities media, authorities troops began withdrawing from the area.

Syrian response

Syria condemned the Israeli strikes arsenic a usurpation of planetary law, a stance echoed by respective Arab governments.

Syria’s caller authorities has been trying to asseverate control, but it has struggled to bash truthful successful Suwayda, successful portion owed to repeated Israeli threats against immoderate authorities subject beingness successful the province.

“The Israelis are not going to let the Syrian authorities to dispersed its authorization each implicit the territory,” said Ammar Kahf, enforcement manager of Omran Center for Strategic Studies, who is based successful Damascus.

With the autumn of al-Assad’s authorities and the infancy of a caller one, Israel is trying to enforce its volition connected the caller leadership, helium said.

“We are inactive successful the aboriginal stages, but this requires each Syrians to travel together. For a overseas authorities to travel successful and destruct nationalist spot and destruct information and information is thing that’s unexplainable,” Kahf told Al Jazeera.

The Syrian authorities has present announced that service forces volition statesman withdrawing from the metropolis of Suwayda arsenic portion of a ceasefire agreement. It did not notation immoderate pullout of different authorities information forces.