Indonesia Strongly Condemns Israel Strikes on Syria
JAKARTA – Indonesia has strongly condemned Israel military strikes in Syria, which it says were an intervention in the country’s civil war and a violation of its sovereignty. The statement came as the death toll from bloody clashes in southern Syria’s Sweida province surpassed 350.
Through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu), Indonesia expressed deep concern over the escalating violence and the high number of civilian casualties.
“Indonesia is concerned about the deteriorating situation in Sweida, Syria, which has caused many civilian casualties,” the ministry stated via its official X account, @Kemlu_RI, on Thursday (17/7/2025).
The ministry explicitly denounced the Israel military action, stating that it disrespected Syria’s national sovereignty.
“Indonesia also condemns the Israel military intervention that does not respect Syrian sovereignty,” the statement continued.
The Israel military had launched attacks on Wednesday (16/7), striking the Syrian Ministry of Defense headquarters in Damascus and government forces in the country’s south. Other targets reportedly included areas near the Syrian Presidential Palace, armed armored vehicles, and weapons storage facilities.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the operation as an effort “to save our Druze brothers and eliminate the regime’s gangs.” He stated a commitment to preventing harm to the Druze community, noting that many also reside in Israel and the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. The Syrian Foreign Ministry, however, labeled the attack as “dangerous aggression.”
In its statement, Indonesia urged a halt to the fighting and reaffirmed its support for a peaceful resolution.
“Indonesia encourages the realization of a permanent ceasefire between the Syrian Government and the Druze Group, and continues to support efforts made by the Syrian government in creating peace throughout Syrian territory,” the ministry said.
Jakarta emphasized the need for a peaceful and inclusive dialogue involving all elements of Syrian society to resolve the conflict, while “upholding national unity and the territorial integrity of Syria.”
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, the clashes in Sweida province that erupted on Sunday have resulted in a significant death toll. As of Thursday, the SOHR reported that over 350 people have been killed.
The casualties include 79 Druze fighters, 55 civilians—27 of whom were killed in “summary executions by members of the Ministry of Defense and Interior”—as well as 189 personnel from the Syrian Ministry of Defense and Interior and 18 Bedouin fighters.
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