CAIRO, Jul 17 (NNN-MENA) – Countries in the Middle East, yesterday, condemned the Israeli airstrikes targeting the Syrian Army General Command headquarters, and the presidential palace area in central Damascus.
The Israeli regime said, the strikes were aimed at protecting the Druze minority in Syria, following deadly clashes in the southern province of Sweida.
The Arab League denounced the attacks as “blatant assault” on the sovereignty of an Arab state, that is a member of both the Arab League and the United Nations.
It also accused the Israeli regime of seeking to sow chaos in Syria, by exploiting recent events in Sweida province.
Egypt, in a statement from its Foreign Ministry, said, these repeated Israeli violations only serve to deepen tensions and represent a fundamental source of instability in Lebanon, Syria, and the broader region.
Algeria denounced the assault as a “flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and unity,” and expressed full solidarity with Syria’s right to defend its stability, in line with the UN Charter and international law.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry affirmed its absolute rejection of endangering the lives of Syrian civilians, and exacerbating their humanitarian suffering.
It stressed the need to de-escalate the situation, as it poses a direct threat to the security and stability of the region.
Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun affirmed his country’s “full solidarity” with Syria and its people.
He renewed his call on the international community, to pressure the Israeli regime to stop the repeated aggressions, and to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, yesterday, condemned the attacks, saying on his X post, “Unfortunately, this was all too predictable. Which capital is next?”
The Israeli regime strikes were initially limited to Sweida province, before extending to the capital. Israeli authorities said, the attacks on Syrian forces and weapons, aimed to “prevent the Syrian government from harming” the Druze community, due to “the deep fraternal alliance with the Druze citizens of Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.”
The escalation in Sweida began on Sunday after armed members of a Bedouin tribe in the countryside of Sweida reportedly assaulted and robbed a young Druze man, near the town of al-Masmiyah. The brutal attack sparked retaliatory kidnappings, spiraling into full-scale clashes between local Druze fighters, government troops, and Bedouin militias.
Since Sunday morning, the death toll from armed clashes, summary executions, and Israeli airstrikes in Syria’s Sweida province has risen to 302, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.– NNN-MENA
