The United States said on Thursday it did not support recent Israeli strikes on Syria and had made clear its displeasure, while Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of trying to fracture his country and promised to protect its Druze minority.

Israel has struck military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces and Bedouin tribes clash with Druze militias.

For weeks, Israel has engaged in back-channel talks over a diplomatic agreement with the Syrian government. Its strikes on Damascus this week highlight a lack of strategic clarity.

A row over mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men has left the prime minister’s ruling coalition with a razor-thin majority.

The Israeli leader has been alienating his allies and is spiraling toward early elections.

Syria says it is withdrawing troops from a flashpoint southern city after days of deadly clashes with an Arab minority group that triggered military action from Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck "the entrance" of Syria's military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday.

American government workers in Israel received an alert from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to shelter in place amid deadly attacks from Iran.

The attacks are part of a sharp uptick in settler violence since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. In the West Bank alone, nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since then, according to United Nations figures.

Slovenia declared two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, persona non grata on Thursday, the first European Union country to do so, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said.