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.

The United States did not support recent Israeli strikes on Syria, the State Department said on Thursday, adding that Washington made clear its displeasure after tensions escalated and worked quickly to stop it.

These events highlight the falsity of claims that the regime change that took place in December 2024 with the support of the US and its allies, including Turkey, would bring democracy and peace to Syria,

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

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.

Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert breaks ranks, declaring Netanyahu’s war has no endgame and no moral compass. From failed strategy to lost global credibility, Olmert says it’s time to end the war, hold elections,

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.