**Israeli Military Strikes Syrian Army Camps in Response to Alleged Attacks on Druze Community** The Israeli military has confirmed that it targeted Syrian army camps overnight in response to what it claims were attacks against the Druze community in the south of Syria. According to a statement posted on Telegram by the Israeli military on Friday, the strikes were a direct response to the alleged attacks on Druze civilians in the Suwayda area the previous day. The Israeli military stated that it will not allow harm to come to the Druze community in Syria and will continue to act in their protection. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday that fighting broke out between government forces and fighters from local tribes against opposing Druze factions in the western countryside of Suwayda. The fighting began after mortar shells fell on areas under the control of Druze factions, and later hit residential neighbourhoods in the city of Suwayda, causing panic and fear among residents. Violence in Suwayda first erupted on July 13 between Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze groups. Government forces were sent in to quell the fighting, but the bloodshed worsened, and Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and bombed the heart of the capital, Damascus, under the pretext of protecting the Druze. This incident occurred after Israel had already pushed deeper into Syrian territory following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, occupying the buffer zone and stating that the 1974 deal with Syria had collapsed. The latest flare-up between the neighbouring countries comes as the Middle East continues to experience conflict, following the United States and Israel's attack on Iran on February 28. In a speech delivered after the Eid al-Fitr prayers on Friday in Damascus, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that he is working to keep Syria out of any conflict. He stated that Syria is in harmony with all neighbouring countries regionally and internationally, and expressed solidarity with the Arab states.