Syria hit, Israel attacks targets near presidential palace

The Israeli military has attacked targets near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus. Warplanes “hit the area around the palace,” the Israeli military said.

Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had sternly warned the new Syrian government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa against further attacks on Syria's Jewish minority. "If the attacks on Jews in Syria do not stop, we will respond with great force," Katz said, according to his spokesman, addressing the neighboring country's interim president.

The US has also strongly condemned the violence against the Jewish minority in Syria. “The recent violence and inflammatory rhetoric directed against members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable,” US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Thursday. The transitional authorities in Damascus must “cease the fighting.” They must also bring the perpetrators to justice and “ensure the safety of all Syrians.”

The US also confirmed a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Thursday. A State Department spokeswoman said US representatives met with the Syrian delegation in New York on Tuesday. According to the report, the transitional government in Syria was urged by the US side to pursue a policy "that strengthens stability."

Any future normalization of relations or lifting of sanctions will depend "on the actions of the transitional government," as well as a "positive response to specific confidence-building measures communicated by the United States," Bruce said.

There are about 700,000 Jews living in Syria. The religious minority that emerged from Islam makes up about three percent of the Syrian population. The religious community is also represented in Israel and Lebanon. (A2 Televizion)