Several Arab nations and Turkey condemned on Saturday Israel for striking army camps in southern Syria, urging the international community to intervene.
The Israeli military said on Friday it targeted infrastructure sites belonging to the Syrian government in response to attacks against Druze civilians in Sweida province.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait all joined in condemning the Israeli strikes, stressing the need to ensure Syria's sovereignty and the global community's role in preventing such attacks.
Saudi Arabia condemned "the blatant Israeli aggression... in flagrant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty", the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry urged the international community "to put an end to Israel's violations of international laws and norms".
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said it "strongly condemned" the attack, adding that it was a “dangerous escalation".
Syria’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes, calling them a "blatant violation" of international law and an assault on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Damascus accused Israel of pursuing an escalating policy aimed at destabilising the region and held it fully responsible for the consequences. The ministry called on the United Nations Security Council to act to halt what it described as Israeli aggression.
The Israeli military said it struck a command centre and weapons storage sites in military compounds in southern Syria. It said it will not tolerate harm towards the Druze population, adding that it will continue to operate to defend them and monitor developments in the region.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war watchdog, said the fighting broke out after mortar fire landed in areas controlled by Druze groups, before shelling later struck residential neighbourhoods in Sweida city.
Syrian authorities said security forces had dismantled an organised criminal network involving car theft and drug trafficking, adding that nine suspects had been arrested in the operation.
Israel had bombed Syria during a deadly bout of sectarian violence last year, saying it was acting to defend the minority group.
Syria has so far avoided being dragged into the regional war that began on February 28 when Israel and the US launched a joint air assault on Iran, which has hit back by firing ballistic missiles and drones at countries across the region.
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara said on Friday that he was working to keep his country out of the conflict.
Since the Iran war erupted, Turkey has repeatedly accused Israel of pursuing an “expansionist policy” and seeking to drag other nations into the war.
