Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he spoke with the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif. 'The Sheikh thanked me for the forceful action we carried out last night against the presidential palace compound in Damascus - an action intended to send a clear message to the Syrian regime: Israel is committed to protecting the Druze in Syria. We will not allow harm to come to them and will continue to act decisively against any such attempts,' Netanyahu wrote. It was also reported that 'I told the Sheikh that I expect the Druze community in Israel to continue respecting the law, as they typically do. He agreed with me, condemned the exceptional cases of violence that came from within the community, and clarified that its leadership is committed to maintaining law and order.'