Day 650 of the Israel-Hamas war: Israel has reportedly given up on the Morag Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip as part of a withdrawal in a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. According to Israeli media, Jerusalem has softened its stance and made concessions.

After government loyalists and Druze militia clashed in the southern city of Suweida, Syrian government forces intervened.

But exploiting Syria’s internal instability to expand Israeli military reach will weaken Syria’s post-Assad reforms. Israel was clear since the fall of Assad that it would not allow Syrian government forces based in southern Syria. This was a clear message to al-Sharaa that they would not allow the country’s presence in the Druze majority city.

P LUMES OF SMOKE rose over Damascus on July 16th as Israeli warplanes struck Syria’s capital. Targeting the presidential palace, the defence ministry and the army command, the attack killed at least one person and wounded several others.

Israeli officials react to the ongoing violence in Syria's Sweida between regime forces and the local Druze community. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border amid ongoing clashes in Sweida in southern Syria on Wednesday afternoon.

These are wild times between Israel and Syria.And in these wild times it is unclear whether Israel's attacks on Syrian regime forces on Monday and Tuesday - even if it is to protect some Syrian-Druze who the Jewish state has good relations with and even if the Syrian forces are in part of Israel's self-declared buffer zone – will stand unchallenged or lead to major strategic fallout.

PM says strikes in line with demilitarization policy, pledge to protect Druze; Damascus says truce reached with factions controlling Sweida, where sectarian violence has killed scores