UPDATE - Syria condemns Israel’s ‘treacherous aggression’ after attacks on Suwayda

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By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Syria strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes Tuesday on the country’s south as a “treacherous aggression” and a grave violation of international law.

“This criminal act constitutes a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, a flagrant breach of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“It is a reprehensible example of ongoing aggression and external interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.”

The ministry said that the Israeli attacks came “at a calculated moment and within a suspicious context, clearly aimed at undermining national stability and striking at Syrian unity at a critical juncture in which the state is working to consolidate security and emerge from the aftermath of war.”

The Interior Ministry accused Israel of supporting armed groups in Suwayda and launching airstrikes on Syrian military and security positions, resulting in the deaths of several security and army personnel.

Clashes continue in parts of the city, according to a statement, as the government coordinates with community leaders to reassert control and stabilize the area.

Israeli warplanes launched multiple airstrikes targeting southern Syria’s Suwayda governorate and Daraa in the country’s southwest.

The attacks came as Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced a full ceasefire in Suwayda following negotiations with local community leaders.

On Monday, more than 30 people were killed and nearly 100 others injured in clashes between armed Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in Suwayda.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

A transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in Syria in January.