Government aims to move some 1,500 Bedouins out of city after a week of deadly clashes with Druze; officials say Damascus will also allow displaced residents to return

President Donald Trump was surprised by Israeli strikes in Syria and a Gaza Catholic church bombing. The intervention complicates Trump's initiatives to end the Gaza war and support Syria's new government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's military actions in Syria, accusing the country of being a "terrorist state" as well as a destabilizing force in the region.

So it's a messy situation. Israel has to decide, with help from the United States, what it wants to do next with this government,' says James Jeffrey - Anadolu Ajansı

Israel acted not out of expansionist aims but out of duty to protect its allies, the Druze, while balancing national interests in an unstable Syrian arena

Republican congressman and Israel caucus co-chair Joe Wilson rebukes Israeli military strikes on Syria, calling them insulting to Trump's recent diplomatic efforts in the region.

Israel has achieved plenty of short-term military gains, but will that outweigh regional, and international, isolation?

For weeks, Israel has engaged in back-channel talks over a diplomatic agreement with the Syrian government. Its strikes on Damascus this week highlight a lack of strategic clarity.