Israel attacks Damascus
The IDF has struck the Defense Ministry as violence escalates across Druze-populated areas of Syria
Israel attacked the headquarters of the Syrian military and locations near the presidential palace in Damascus on Wednesday. The strike, broadcast live on the Iranian ISNA television channel, was carried out after West Jerusalem issued warnings of “painful blows” in response to Syrian military operations targeting the Druze ethnic minority.
Violent clashes have been going on for several days in the city of Sweida, involving Syrian security forces supported by Bedouin groups, and Druze militants. In an effort to protect the latter, the Israeli military conducted airstrikes on Southern Syria. Wednesday’s strikes also hit the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where a a ceasefire announced the previous evening swiftly collapsed into a fourth day of fighting.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that it “struck the entrance of the Syrian regime’s military headquarters.”
“The military headquarters in Damascus is the location from which Syrian regime commanders direct combat operations and deploy regime forces to the As-Suwayda area,” it added in a Telegram post.
Security sources inside the Syrian Defense Ministry told Reuters that at least two drone strikes hit the building, forcing senior officers to take cover in a basement shelter. According to state-owned Elekhbariya TV, two civilians were wounded in the attack, though Syrian authorities have not confirmed any casualties.
Multiple militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power in Damascus late last year. Following the turmoil, Israel invaded the buffer zone in southwestern Syria adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and carried out an aerial campaign.
Since December, the Islamists have reportedly perpetrated several massacres of Syria’s minority communities, including the Alawites, Christians, and Druze.
Israel has conducted multiple strikes in Syria, citing the need to protect the Druze community. The most recent strikes followed a statement from prominent Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, who accused government troops of violating a ceasefire and called on fighters to confront what he referred to as a barbaric attack.