Israel carried out several rounds of airstrikes in Syria between April 30 and May 3 that targeted an area near the presidential palace in Damascus and various sites containing military assets. Israel conducted the strikes, the latest since the Bashar al Assad regime fell on December 8, 2024, to warn the new Syrian government against attacks on the country’s Druze minority.
On April 30, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said he had “instructed the IDF to prepare to strike targets belonging to the Syrian regime should the violence against Druze communities continue.”
Sectarian conflict in Syria flared again recently when Druze students at Homs University reported being attacked after rumors emerged of an audio recording in which a Druze leader was alleged to have insulted the Islamic Prophet Muhammed. Threats against Syrian Druze grew to include tensions and clashes in the Damascus suburbs of Jaramana and Sahnaya. By April 29, reports said at least 12 people had been killed in skirmishes between armed groups.
Since the December 2024 fall of the Assad regime and the emergence of a new government led by former Hayat Tahrir al Sham leader Ahmed al Sharaa, Israeli officials have said Israel could intervene to protect minorities in Syria. In March 2025, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “We will not allow the extreme Islamic regime in Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms the Druze, it will be struck by us.”
The Druze are a minority religious sect present in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. In Israel, Druze men serve in the army, and members of this community have been outspoken about support for their coreligionists in Syria. On May 1, Israeli Druze protested in support of Israeli intervention in Syria, blocking key highways and roads.
In a joint announcement on April 30, Katz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The IDF has carried out a warning operation and struck elements of an extremist group that was preparing to continue attacks on the Druze population in the town of Sahnaya, in the Damascus district in Syria.” The Israeli government also said it had conveyed a message to the Syrian government that Israel expects Damascus “to act to prevent harm to the Druze.” Netanyahu and Katz added, “We ascribe great importance to realizing our obligation to the Druze community in Israel and to defend their brothers in Syria.”
On May 2, the IDF conducted an airstrike near the Presidential Palace in Damascus before sunrise. “This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced.
The IDF simultaneously began to enable wounded Druze to enter Israel for medical treatment. Three Syrian Druze arrived overnight between May 1 and 2, and two more arrived later on May 2. On May 3, the IDF said five more wounded Druze entered Israel. The Israeli military noted that it is “deployed in southern Syria and is prepared to prevent the entry of hostile forces into the area of Druze villages. The IDF continues to monitor developments with readiness for defense and various scenarios.” Israel also facilitated the delivery of 1,500 boxes of humanitarian aid on May 1 and 2.
Israel escalated airstrikes overnight between May 2 and 3, hitting several targets across Syria. The IDF said that it struck a “military site, anti-aircraft cannons, and surface-to-air missile infrastructure in Syria,” adding that it will “continue to operate as necessary to defend Israeli civilians.” This statement was a departure from previous statements solely characterizing the operations as designed to prevent attacks on Druze. These operations appeared in line with previous strikes between December 8 and March 25 in which the IDF targeted military assets in Syria, many linked to the former regime.
The strikes between May 2 and 3 hit several former regime sites. ANHA reported that among “the targets were the 47th Brigade headquarters, a military base in the western Hama countryside that was formerly allied with the Ba’ath regime.”
A Shilka anti-aircraft vehicle was alleged to be among Israel’s targets, and a photo of the destroyed vehicle was geolocated south of Damascus. Reports identified the site as part of the former regime’s 175th Brigade post near Izrah. The same area was struck in mid-March. Kurdistan24 also reported that a site linked to the 41st Brigade near Harasta in Damascus was targeted and described the airstrikes between May 2 and 3 as the “most intense” of 2025.
The Israeli military did not specify which sites it had hit. The state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said that four people were injured and four killed in the strikes.
SANA highlighted numerous condemnations of the strikes, including statements from the UN, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Arab League. Turkey also condemned the attacks amid reports that Turkish and Israeli warplanes had avoided a confrontation during Israel’s overnight strikes between May 1 and 2. Meanwhile, Damascus has said it is working toward resolving sectarian tensions through a new security agreement in the Druze-majority area of Suwayda.
