Israel attacks near presidential palace in Syria

Tel Aviv [Israel], May 2: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on May 2 that Israel had attacked a target near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus.
"Israel attacked near the presidential palace in Damascus last night," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Israeli Defense Minister Katz.
"This is a clear message to the Syrian regime: We will not allow (Syrian forces) to deploy south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community."
The Israeli army claimed to have attacked "near the area of the Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa Palace in Damascus", without specifying the target. There was no immediate response from the Syrian authorities.
It is the second time Israel has attacked Syria in recent days, fulfilling a promise to protect the Druze minority, which was embroiled in sectarian violence against Sunni militants earlier this week, according to Reuters.
The attacks reflect Israel's deep distrust of Sunni Muslims who overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, posing an additional challenge to Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to establish control over the divided country.
This week's sectarian violence began on April 29 with clashes between Druze and Sunni fighters in the Druze-majority region of Jaramana, erupting due to an audio recording cursing the prophet Mohammad. Sunni members suspect that the recording was made by a Druze.
More than 10 people were killed on April 29, before the violence spread to the town of Sahnaya, where a large number of Druze live, on the outskirts of Damascus on April 30.
Meanwhile, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed on May 1 that US representatives met with the Syrian delegation in New York on April 29, saying the US side had urged the post-Assad government to "choose policies to strengthen stability", according to AFP.
"Any future normalization of relations or the lifting of sanctions ... will depend on the actions of the interim administration and the positive response to the specific confidence-building measures that we have announced," Bruce told reporters.
About a week ago, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani hoisted the Syrian flag at the United Nations headquarters in New York, marking a new chapter after the ouster of al-Assad in December 2024, according to AFP.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper