CNN
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Israel carried out a series of powerful strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus Wednesday, escalating a campaign it says is in support of an Arab minority group involved in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces.
At least three people were killed and 34 others were injured in the attacks, the Syrian health ministry told CNN.
Israel has stepped up its campaign despite pressure from the US, which has made moves to end Syria’s international isolation.
Syria has strongly condemned Israel for striking several government buildings in Damascus on Wednesday, calling the attacks on targets including its Ministry of Defense a “dangerous escalation.”
“This blatant attack, which comes within the context of a systematic policy pursued by the Israeli entity to ignite tension, create chaos, and undermine security and safety in Syria,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Syria said it will “reserve its full legitimate rights to defend its land and people by all means guaranteed by international law,” the statement added.
The Syrian government meanwhile announced a new ceasefire with the Druze but it is unclear whether it will come into force amid splits among the group.
One video from a Syrian television channel showed the Ministry of Defense building being hit live on air during the latest strikes, forcing the anchor to take cover.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz shared the footage, saying “the painful blows have begun.”
In a press briefing held by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), a military official confirmed Israel had targeted the ministry and an area near the presidential palace.
Israel, which has been carrying out strikes on Syria since the fall of the Assad regime last December, says it is attacking Syria to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the center of clashes with government loyalists.
However, another incentive behind Israel’s decision to strike could be related to its opposition of the current Syrian government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously referred to the new leaders of the country as an “extremist Islamic regime” and a threat to the state of Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Wednesday that his country wants to “maintain the status quo in southern Syria – an area near our border – and prevent the emergence of threats against Israel in that space.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed alarm over the continued escalation of violence in Suwayda in a statement on Wednesday. He condemned all violence against civilians, including reports of arbitrary killings and acts that exacerbate sectarian tensions in the country.
Guterres also condemned “Israel’s escalatory airstrikes on Suwayda, Daraa and in the center of Damascus,” calling for “an immediate cessation of all violations of Syria’s sovereignty.”
Talks of a ceasefire
The Druze, an Arab sect of roughly one million people who primarily live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, practice an offshoot of Islam which permits no converts – either to or from the religion – and no intermarriage. The Druze are made up of a network of groups with multiple figureheads.
Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pledged inclusion and vowed to protect all of Syria’s diverse communities, but Sunni extremist forces loyal to him have continued to violently confront religious minorities.
Violence broke out over the weekend between Druze forces and Bedouin tribes in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, prompting an intervention by the Syrian government.
The Syrian government claimed a new ceasefire agreement was reached on Wednesday, but a key figure from the religious minority group denied that a truce was reached. An earlier ceasefire collapsed within hours.
A statement published by the Syrian government said that, under the new ceasefire, there will be a complete halt to military operations, a monitoring committee will be formed with the Druze leaders and members of the community will be leading security in the province.
A Druze spiritual leader representing one of the factions in Suwayda, Youssef Jarbou, confirmed an agreement was reached for a “complete and immediate halt to all military operations and de-escalation from all sides, with the army returning to its barracks.”
However, Hikmat Al Hijri – a prominent Druze figure who had asked for international protection on Wednesday – rejected the ceasefire, calling on his supporters to continue fighting.
A ‘dire’ situation
Clashes continued into Wednesday and Fadi Hamdan, a carpenter from Suwayda, told CNN that “the situation inside the city is dire.”
“Electricity has been out since yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Mobile service is extremely weak, and the internet barely works,” Hamdan said. “Landlines are completely down. Water was also cut off yesterday, though it returned briefly this morning.”
Hamdan said that the current Syrian interim government “bears full responsibility for what’s happening in Suwayda.”
The US is “very concerned” about Wednesday’s strikes, the country’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “We’re talking with both sides, all the relevant sides and hopefully we can bring it to a conclusion but we’re very concerned,” Rubio added.
In Syria, the Druze community is concentrated around three main provinces close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the south of the country, and form a majority in the Suwayda province.
More than 20,000 Druze also live in the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967, before formally annexing it in 1981.
Hundreds of people from the Druze community have seemingly crossed over from the Golan Heights into Syria in recent days.
It’s unclear when the crossings happened, but separate videos circulating on social media Tuesday and Wednesday showed people carrying Druze flags crossing a border fence allegedly from the Golan Heights into Syria.
They were apparently responding to pleas from Druze leaders to support their community in the ongoing clashes.
Addressing the Druze community in Israel and the Golan Heights Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called on them not to cross over the border.
“I have one request for you: You are citizens of Israel. Do not cross the border,” he said.
This story has been updated with developments.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood and Hira Humayun contributed to this report.