Syria slams Israeli attack near presidential palace

Syria on Friday denounced an Israeli air strike near the presidential palace in Damascus as a “dangerous escalation” after Israel warned it would act to defend the Druze minority from ongoing sectarian violence, France 24 reported.

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.

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 soveignty of the state”. It called on the international community to stand by Syria, saying that such attacks “target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people”.