At least nine people in southwestern Syria were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, as Israel accused Turkey of attempting to establish a “protectorate” in Syria.
According to the Syrian state news agency, SANA, the victims were civilians, but no further details were provided. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that the casualties were armed residents from Daraa province.
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Earlier on Wednesday evening, Israeli forces had launched strikes on five Syrian cities, including multiple attacks near a strategic airbase in Hama, where Turkey is said to have interests in maintaining a military presence. Syria's Foreign Ministry stated that the strikes had nearly destroyed the Hama military airport and caused injuries to both civilians and military personnel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Turkey of playing a “negative role” in Syria, stating that Turkey was working towards turning Syria into a Turkish protectorate. “Their intention is clear,” Sa'ar remarked during a press conference in Paris. "We didn’t support Syria being an Iranian proxy, and we don’t believe it should become a Turkish protectorate either.”
No official response from Turkish authorities has been issued yet.
Israel has controlled parts of southwestern Syria since the downfall of former President Bashar Assad, establishing a buffer zone which it claims is for its own security against armed groups. Critics argue that Israel’s military actions have fueled instability in Syria and are preventing long-term peace and reconstruction efforts.
Tensions had recently flared in the village of Koawaya in the province, where local residents clashed with Israeli troops attempting to cross agricultural land.
Syria’s interim leadership continues to face challenges in gaining support from non-Sunni Muslim communities. Relations with the Druze in the south remain tense, and the Alawites along the coast are still wary after clashes between security forces and former loyalists of Assad led to revenge killings.
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Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the killings, urging that they be treated as war crimes. The organisation accused government-linked militias of deliberately targeting civilians. Agnès Callamard, the organisation's Secretary-General, stated, “Our evidence shows that government-affiliated militias intentionally executed civilians from the Alawite minority in cold-blooded revenge attacks, shooting them at close range. For two days, authorities did nothing to stop these killings.”