The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the incidents of sectarian violence targeting the Unitarian Druze community residing south of Damascus.
In the statement, Paris called on all actors in Syria, both locally and regionally, to immediately halt the clashes that have recently erupted in the Damascus countryside.
France also urged Syria’s transitional administration to make every effort to restore calm and reinforce civil peace. The statement emphasised that the administration had previously demonstrated a commitment to maintaining stability and civil peace, citing the final statement of the Paris International Conference on Syria, held on February 13, as an example of the stance.
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Additionally, France called on the Israeli government to refrain from taking any unilateral measures that could further inflame sectarian tensions in Syria.
In related development, the Director of the Security Directorate in the Damascus countryside, Hossam Tahan, announced on Wednesday the conclusion of a security operation in the town of Ashrafieh Sahnaya. Speaking to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Tahan said the operation had ended in parallel with the deployment of security personnel throughout the town’s neighbourhoods to help restore order.
The Damascus Countryside Security Directorate confirmed that Ministry of Defence forces have begun withdrawing from Ashrafieh Sahnaya following their role in securing the area. Authorities also coordinated with local notables to facilitate the arrest of certain individuals described as outlaws.
That same day, the Israeli army targeted an armed group in the town of Sahnaya, located in the Damascus countryside, according to a statement released by the Israeli government.
A joint declaration from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “The Israeli army carried out a warning operation and attacked an armed group that was preparing to attack the Druze population in the town of Sahnaya in the Damascus countryside”.
