TEHRAN – The Israeli occupation regime has launched its most extensive bombardment of Syria since the beginning of the current year.

Around 20 airstrikes were carried out by the Israeli regime, targeting areas in Damascus, its outskirts, Hama, Idlib, Latakia, and Daraa. The strikes hit warehouses and military centers.

Local sources indicated that the airstrikes targeted a Syrian battalion headquarters and the area surrounding the former Tishreen Military Hospital north of Damascus, along with military camps, installations, and storage sites in mountainous regions.

The attacks resulted in at least one civilian death and left several others injured.

Israeli media reported that some of the targets in Damascus had not previously been struck.

In Hama province, an air defense warehouse belonging to the former Syrian army was hit, injuring four people, according to Syria’s official news agency, SANA.

Airstrikes were also reported in Idlib province in the northwest and in the Latakia countryside, where two people were reportedly wounded, according to Syrian media.

In southern Syria, Israeli jets targeted an area near a town in the northern countryside of Daraa and also struck camps used by the former 175th Regiment of the Syrian Army.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the strikes as “the most intense wave of airstrikes and bombings since the beginning of the year.”

Simultaneously, Israeli helicopters reportedly landed in As Suwayda in southern Syria, unloading a shipment of military aid, sources told regional news outlets.

Early Friday, the Israeli occupation army announced that it had targeted an area near the presidential palace in Damascus, where Ahmad al-Sharaa, the self-appointed President of Syria’s transitional government, resides.

Following the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a joint statement with military minister Yisrael Katz, saying, “This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow the deployment of Syrian forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community in any form.”

Katz further warned that “Israel will respond forcefully if the Syrian government fails to protect the Druze minority.”

Some experts have indicated that the Israeli regime is using concern for the Druze community as a pretext to further undermine Syria’s sovereignty.

Others have noted that by restricting Syrian military movement south of Damascus, the Israeli regime is highlighting the weakness of the new government and its military capability.

Armed groups affiliated with the government launched attacks in several areas south of Damascus, leading to clashes with local fighters and resulting in casualties on both sides.

These confrontations have renewed tensions and sparked concerns about escalating sectarian violence, especially in Druze-majority areas.