This comes a day after Druze leaders and dignitaries in Syria affirmed, in a statement, that they are part of a unified Syria and emphasized their rejection of any proponents of partition or secession.
The statement was a slap in the face to Israel, which, according to observers, is attempting to exploit the minority issue, particularly the Druze in southern Syria, to consolidate its interventions and violations of Syrian sovereignty and impose a separatist reality, even as Damascus asserts that all sects in the country have "equal rights without discrimination."
According to a statement issued by his office, Netanyahu said during a phone call with the leader of the Druze community in Israel, Muwaffaq Tarif: "The offensive operation carried out by the Israeli army last night against the presidential complex in Damascus aims to send a clear message to the Syrian regime that Israel is committed to protecting the Druze in Syria," he claimed.
He added, threateningly: "We will not allow the Druze in Syria to be harmed, and we will continue to act firmly against any attempt to do so," he said.
This is not the first time Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have incited against the new Syrian administration, alleging that it is "oppressing" minorities.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ashrafieh Sahnaya and Jaramana areas, home to a large Druze population in the Damascus countryside, witnessed security tensions following the spread of an audio recording attributed to a Druze member that included "insults" to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
Security forces, in coordination with local leaders, were able to restore calm in the two areas after civilian and security personnel were killed in attacks launched by "outlaw" armed groups seeking to "create chaos and strife."
The General Security Directorate in Rural Damascus announced Wednesday evening that it had reached a "preliminary agreement" to restore calm in Jaramana and Ashrafieh Sahnaya, and that a joint committee had been formed to resolve the security tensions in the two areas.
Claiming to be defending Druze rights in Syria, Israel launched airstrikes on Wednesday on the outskirts of the Ashrafieh Sahnaya area, killing Druze civilians, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The Israeli occupation army announced that its warplanes raided an area adjacent to the presidential palace in Damascus at dawn on Friday.
The Syrian presidency condemned in the strongest terms the bombing of the presidential palace by the Israeli occupation, describing it as a "dangerous escalation against state institutions and sovereignty."
These developments come amid escalating warnings about Israel's attempts to exploit the Druze to impose its intervention in Syria, even as Damascus asserts that all components of the population are equal in rights.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights. Taking advantage of the new situation in the country following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Israel occupied the Syrian buffer zone and declared the collapse of the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides.
Although the new Syrian administration, headed by Ahmad al-Sharaa, has not threatened Israel in any way, Tel Aviv has been launching almost daily airstrikes on Syria for months, killing civilians and destroying Syrian military sites, vehicles, and ammunition.
