Israel’s air force struck near Syria’s presidential palace early Friday after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria, AP reported.

The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded.

Syria’s presidency condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it a “dangerous escalation against state institutions and the sovereignty of the state.” It called on the international community to stand by Syria, saying that such attacks “target Syria's national security and the unity of the Syrian people.”