Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli ‘Aggression’ Against Syria, Riyadh Says

Israel’s strikes on Syrian army positions drew sharp rebukes from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with Riyadh labeling the operations “aggression” and Ankara urging the international community to intervene to halt what it called a dangerous escalation.

Israel’s military said it carried out strikes in southern Syria on Thursday in response to what it described as attacks targeting the Druze community in Sweida province.

This was not the first time Israel has struck inside Syria amid sectarian bloodshed; last year it launched bombardments saying the moves were aimed at protecting the minority Druze population.

In an official statement, the Saudi foreign ministry condemned “the blatant Israeli aggression… in flagrant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty”.

Turkey’s foreign ministry similarly denounced the operation as “a dangerous escalation” and called on the international community to take steps to stop further violence.

The strikes took place against the backdrop of wider regional conflict after US and Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February, actions that have ignited fighting across much of the Middle East even as Syria has largely stayed out of the direct confrontation.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday that clashes between government forces and hostile elements in Sweida province killed at least four Druze fighters.

SOHR added that Israeli shelling later struck residential areas in Sweida city, causing damage and heightening tensions in the provincial capital.

Following the downfall of long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel moved forces into the UN-monitored demilitarized zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and has since conducted hundreds of airstrikes and frequent incursions into Syrian territory.

Israel’s military said it “will not allow harm to come to Druze in Syria and will continue to act for their protection”.

The Syrian foreign ministry condemned the strikes as an “outrageous assault on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” dismissing Israel’s rationale as “flimsy pretexts and fabricated excuses”.