Israel strikes town near Damascus amid sectarian unrest

Damascus, May 1 (IANS) Israel strikes the town of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, southwest of Damascus, as Syrian forces regained control of the area following days of intense sectarian clashes, according to state media and a monitoring group.

Loud explosions echoed through the town amid Israeli aerial bombardment, coinciding with the presence of Israeli warplanes and drones, local sources reported on Wednesday.

The strikes came after Israel had warned it would act to protect the Druze community in Syria, following widespread violence that has left dozens dead, Xinhua news agency reported.

Syrian forces, supported by allied paramilitary units, launched a large-scale operation to secure Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, conducting door-to-door searches for wanted individuals and seizing weapons.

The town's entrances and exits were sealed, from the al-Maamel area to the Daraa highway and the Tayarah checkpoint, effectively isolating it from its surroundings.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, the total number of people killed in the recent sectarian unrest across Jaramana, Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, and along the Damascus-Suwayda highway has climbed to 42.

The victims include Druze gunmen and civilians, members of the General Security Directorate, and pro-government militia.

The violence was initially triggered by the circulation of an audio recording, purportedly from a Druze individual, whose remarks were considered offensive to Islam, igniting sectarian tensions and triggering retaliatory attacks in several towns south of Damascus.

A joint statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Defence announced that the Israeli military had targeted a "radical Syrian group" allegedly preparing to attack Druze residents in the town of Sahnaya, located in the Damascus countryside.

The statement said: "On Memorial Day for fallen security personnel, we reaffirm our commitment to the Druze community in Israel and to defending their brothers in Syria."

It continued: "Israel will not allow harm to come to the Druze people, out of deep loyalty to our Druze brothers in Israel, who share close family and historical ties with their fellow Druze in Syria."

In northern Israel, dozens of Palestinian Druze blocked roads on Wednesday morning in protest of the events near Damascus.

Activists from the Druze community in the occupied Syrian Golan also warned against sectarian incitement and urged caution.

--IANS

int/khz