Israel attacks Damascus ‘to stop more sectarian killings’

Loud explosions have been heard in Syria’s capital, Damascus, as Israel attacked the city following days of sectarian conflict in the south of the country.

- ALEXANDER BUTLER

The Israeli military said it had attacked Syria’s military headquarters as it “continued to monitor the regime’s actions against Druze civilians” in Sweida, southern Syria.

At least 200 people have been killed in fighting between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam, and is deeply suspicious of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government.