Israeli Airstrike Hits Syria’s Suwayda Amid Clashes and Government Advance

Watan-The official Syrian news agency SANA reported that Israeli warplanes targeted the city of Suwayda on Tuesday, coinciding with the entry of Syrian government forces into the area.

SANA stated: “Israeli occupation aircraft targeted the city of Suwayda,” a predominantly Druze city in southern Syria.

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a “clear warning to the Syrian regime” not to target Druze communities.

Heavy clashes erupted within Suwayda city following the entry of government forces, according to an AFP correspondent. This came after official announcements and initial welcoming statements from Druze religious authorities.

Druze spiritual leaders had called on fighters in Suwayda to surrender their weapons and avoid resisting the Syrian army. Among them was prominent Druze cleric Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who initially welcomed the government’s entry.

However, he later reversed his stance and called for resistance, stating: “Despite accepting this humiliating statement for the sake of our people’s safety, they broke their promise and continued indiscriminate shelling of unarmed civilians,” in a later recorded video statement.