Israel's attack comes as a response to the fact that over 100 people have been killed in sectarian violence outside Syria's capital in recent days. A majority of the dead were from the minority group Druze.
"This is a clear message to Syria's regime", writes Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in a joint press release. "We will not allow forces to be stationed south of Damascus or any form of threat to the Druze".
According to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR) and several other sources, the battles in the area are between Druze and armed groups linked to the authorities.
Earlier, Katz had warned Syria's Islamist government that Israel would intervene if no measures were taken to protect the Druze.
The US has also condemned the violence against the minority group.
"The recent violence and hateful rhetoric targeting members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable", writes Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the US State Department, according to media in Washington.
