Sharaa, accused Israel on Thursday of "trying to drag us into war" after the Netanyahu government launched airstrikes on military forces in Damascus. During a televised speech, al-Sharaa said Israel was "once again seeking to transform our blessed land into a theater of endless chaos" as well as "dismantle the unity of our people and weaken our ability to advance the path of reconstruction and progress.

Israel threatened to escalate attacks on Syrian government forces unless they withdrew from Sweida, a southern province dominated by the country’s Druse minority.