US opposed Israeli strikes on Syria - State Department
Photo: US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce (x.com/U.S. Department of State)
The United States did not support Israel’s recent strikes on Syria. Washington clearly expressed its disapproval following the escalation and quickly took steps to de-escalate the situation.
This was stated by US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, according to a July 17 press briefing and Reuters.
"Regarding Israel's intervention and activity ... the United States did not support recent Israeli strikes," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters at a regular news briefing. "We are engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between the two sovereign states."
Bruce declined to answer whether Washington supports Israel carrying out such military operations when it deems them necessary.
"I won't speak to future conversations or past ones. What we're dealing with now is this particular episode, what was required, and I think we've been very clear about our displeasure, certainly that the President has, and we've worked very quickly to have it stopped," she said.
She added that the United States condemns the violence in Syria. According to her, Washington is actively engaging all parties in the country to find ways to stabilize the situation and continue discussions on integration, and has urged the Syrian government to take the lead in this process.
Armed escalation in Syria
On July 16, armed clashes broke out in Syria’s As-Suwayda province between the Syrian army and units of the Druze minority, who had previously controlled the region. Around 30 people were killed in the unrest.
In response, the Israeli military launched airstrikes on Damascus and government forces in the south, demanding their withdrawal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country aims to protect the Druze minority, which has supporters in both Lebanon and Israel.
However, after the strikes, Druze representatives reached a ceasefire agreement with Syrian government forces.
By the morning of July 17, Syrian troops had withdrawn from the region following clashes with local militants.
