Violence in Syria's Druze province has triggered Israeli military action, complicating relations with Turkey and creating a power vacuum that Iran could exploit.

Israeli leaders said they launched attacks on Syria this week to protect members of the Druze religious group in the country’s south, amid clashes in the area.

Israel launched rare strikes in Damascus on Wednesday in a campaign it said was aimed at defending the Druze community after days of clashes in the southern city of Sweida.

"If Israel feels that a certain leader...is an evident threat to its national security, it will operate," a former Israeli envoy told Newsweek.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's military actions in Syria, accusing the country of being a "terrorist state" as well as a destabilizing force in the region.

Israel’s involvement in Syria isn’t about conquest or regime change. It’s about protecting its Druze citizens’ kin, preventing jihadist chaos from reaching its borders, and ensuring that failed states don’t become launching pads for future attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed recent airstrikes on Syrian territory, targeting the Ministry of Defence due to violations in a demilitarised zone and attacks on the Druze community.

The Israeli army continued to build a concrete wall on Friday to enforce the fence area separating the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria.