Five Syrian-Druze citizens were evacuated on Friday to receive medical treatment in Israel.
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the injured citizens were evacuated to the Ziv Hospital in Tzfat (Safed), after sustaining injuries in Syrian territory.
“The IDF is deployed in southern Syria and is prepared to prevent the entry of hostile forces into the area of Druze villages. The IDF continues to monitor developments with readiness for defense and various scenarios,” the IDF statement said.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, who thanked him for his directive to take strong action to protect the Druze in Syria in recent days, including the Prime Minister’s decision on Thursday night to strike the Presidential Palace compound in Damascus.
Sheikh Tarif said that the vigorous actions directed by the Prime Minister have sent a deterrent message to the Syrian regime regarding Israel’s commitment to the Druze community in Syria.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the strike in Damascus was meant to send “a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not permit Syrian troops to move south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.“
(Israel National News‘ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
