Reports from northeastern Syria indicate that Turkish drone strikes on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of at least three members of a local Christian force, with several others wounded, including civilians. The force targeted was the local Christian Syriac police known as Sutoro, operating under the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. The strikes occurred near the town of Malikiyah, where three Sutoro vehicles were initially hit, followed by an attack on a fourth vehicle that arrived to assist the casualties.
While Turkey has a history of targeting Kurdish fighters in Syria, attacks on the country's Christian minority have been rare. The Kurdish militia in Syria, known as People’s Defense Units or YPG, is considered by Turkey to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, a banned Kurdish separatist group.
Protests and Violence Erupt in Syria
Elsewhere in Syria, violence erupted in Damascus and Sweida. Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus, targeting sites affiliated with Iran and Hezbollah, resulting in casualties and material losses. In Sweida, security forces opened fire on protesters demonstrating against the country's worsening economy, leading to the death of a 52-year-old man and injuries to another protester.
The death in Sweida marked the first fatality in anti-government protests that began last August, with demonstrators mainly from the ethnic Druze minority. The protests, initially driven by economic concerns, have evolved into calls for the ouster of President Bashar Assad's government, echoing sentiments from the 2011 uprising that sparked Syria's civil war.
Israeli Airstrikes on Damascus
Israeli airstrikes from the Golan Heights targeted areas on the outskirts of Damascus, with Syrian air defenses reportedly intercepting most of the missiles. The strikes were said to have caused material losses, with residents reporting hearing loud explosions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed casualties and ambulances responding to the scene, although specific details were not immediately available.
Israel has conducted numerous strikes on Iranian and Iran-allied groups in Syria in recent years, often without acknowledgment.
