The strikes were south of Damascus, where Syrian security forces say they are battling gunmen from the religious minority.

It began due to rumors about an audio recording that was supposedly insulting to Muslims. This led extremists to gather and slander the Druze community and make genocidal threats.

Israel said it carried out a strike in Syria against “an extremist group” that attacked members of the Druze community, following through on a promise to defend the minority group after deadly sectarian violence spread near Damascus on Wednesday.