Ammon News - Israel’s military chief announced that Israeli forces struck individuals who had targeted members of the Druze community near Damascus, following violent sectarian clashes that reportedly left over 40 people dead.

Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said he had ordered the military to be ready to strike Syrian government positions if assaults against the Druze minority persisted.

A BBC team in the area observed airstrikes near the predominantly Druze towns of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and neighbouring Sahnaya, accompanied by intermittent but intense gunfire.

Syrian authorities later stated that they had carried out a security operation in the area to restore order after “outlaw groups” killed 16 Syrian personnel.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), six Druze fighters were also killed in the conflict. The group reported that three other Druze were shot by Syrian security forces while attempting to drive from Suweida province to Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.

The Israeli military confirmed that three injured Druze individuals were transported to a hospital in northern Israel for treatment on Wednesday evening.

Earlier in the week, at least 17 more people reportedly died in confrontations involving Druze fighters, government forces, and pro-regime militias in Jaramana, a predominantly Druze suburb east of Damascus. Calm was eventually restored, SOHR noted.

The outbreak of violence was triggered by the circulation of an audio recording online, in which a man allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims were outraged, although the Druze cleric to whom the voice was attributed denied involvement. A preliminary investigation by the interior ministry reportedly cleared him of wrongdoing.