U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is "very concerned" about Israel's strikes on Syria, as the violence escalates.
There are clashes between Syrian government forces and local Druze fighters, a religious minority group Israel is trying to protect. Israel has a Druze population mostly in its north, and many serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The strikes open up another front in Israel's multi-facted campaign against its regional enemies. Israel is taking on Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and fought a 12-day war with Iran that ended with a fragile ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"We're going to be working on that issue as we speak," Rubio told reporters. "I just got off the phone with the relevant parties. We're very concerned about it, and hopefully we'll have some updates later today."
Rubio said the U.S. wants the fighting to stop.
The Trump White House had hoped that the new Syrian government would join the Abraham Accords, its effort to improve relations between Israel and Arab states in the Middle East, and lay the foundation for a lasting peace in the region.
Major General Uri Gordin, who leads the IDF Northern Command, said in a statement originally in Hebrew that the military is "operating decisively" in southern Syria and targeting "Syrian regime assets."
Gordin said that Israel is "increasing the pressure and pace of the strikes" and has hit targets around the majority-Druze city of Suweyda in Syria, as well as the capital, Damascus, where an army headquarters was bombed.
