Israel’s Netanyahu said the strike was a warning to the Syrian government not to deploy troops to the south and to prevent violence against the Druze minority.

Israel bombed an area near the presidential palace in Damascus early on Friday, in its clearest warning yet to Syria's new Islamist-led authorities of its readiness to ramp up military action in the name of the country's Druze minority.

Israel's PM says it will "not allow any threat" to the minority in Syria after sectarian clashes in which dozens were killed.