Egypt Daily News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have issued orders to the army to prepare for an attack on Syrian forces in the Druze village of Jaramana, near Damascus.
According to the Israeli newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth,” Netanyahu and Katz issued orders to the army to prepare to defend the Druze village of Jaramana, near Damascus, the capital of Syria, which they claim is “under attack by the regime of President Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.”
This was stated in a joint statement from the offices of Netanyahu and Katz, which also declared: “We will not allow the extremist Islamic terrorist regime in Syria to harm the Druze… If the regime harms the Druze, we will harm it.”
On Saturday, Syrian security forces announced the execution of security operations to pursue wanted individuals in the city of Jaramana, in the Damascus countryside, following the killing of one of its members in a shooting incident.
Hossam Al-Tahan, the director of the Damascus Countryside Security Directorate, stated that the incident began on Friday evening when a group of Defense Ministry personnel attempted to enter Jaramana to visit relatives. They were stopped at a checkpoint belonging to the “Jaramana Shield” faction and prevented from entering with their weapons.
Al-Tahan added that “the personnel handed over their weapons to the checkpoint but were then subjected to beatings and insults before their vehicle was directly fired upon, leading to the death of one and the injury of another, who was later kidnapped by checkpoint personnel.”
He noted that “the attackers launched an assault on the police station in Jaramana, where security personnel were expelled, and their weapons were seized. However, after mediation by local dignitaries, the kidnapped officer was released later.”
Al-Tahan emphasized that “security forces continue to pursue all those involved in cooperation with local dignitaries,” stressing that “these actions threaten Syria’s unity and security, and no entity will be allowed to attack state institutions.”
It is noteworthy that on Tuesday evening, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes targeting locations in southern Damascus, as well as in the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra.
According to “Syrian Television,” the Israeli airstrikes, which occurred late Tuesday night, targeted a military site in the town of Al-Kiswah, south of Damascus, the outskirts of Izraa in the Daraa countryside, and other locations in Quneitra province.
Israel carried out these attacks on Syrian territory shortly after the final statement was issued at the National Dialogue Conference in Damascus, where participants reaffirmed their rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent “provocative statements” and their commitment to Syria’s unity and “sovereignty over its entire territory.”
Recently, Netanyahu called for disarmament in southern Syria, where the current demilitarized zone, monitored by the United Nations, separates the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.
Netanyahu warned in his statements that Israel would not allow any Syrian forces or armed factions south of Damascus, emphasizing the need for disarmament in the region.
He further asserted that there is a “new reality in southern Syria” and vowed to prevent any hostile forces from establishing a presence in the area stretching from southern Syria to Damascus. He also made it clear that Israel would take action against any potential threat and that he would not tolerate any threat to the Druze community.
Following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, Israeli forces expanded their presence in the demilitarized zone. Israel claims its military actions target arms depots and supply lines allegedly used by “Hamas” and Hezbollah. However, Syria’s new president, Ahmad Al-Shara, has demanded an immediate Israeli withdrawal, affirming that “Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.”
