The Israeli military on Wednesday launched an airstrike in the heart of Damascus, hitting the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters as clashes in the southern Syrian city of Sweida continued to flare.
Israel's attack came hours after a drone strike on the same building. Syrian state media reported a “number of casualties” without giving further details.
What Has Happened So Far?
As clashes have raged for days in the southern Syrian city of Sweida between government forces and Druze armed groups, Israel has launched a series of strikes targeting government troops and convoys, which it says are in support of the religious minority group, and has vowed to escalate its involvement. It has also beefed up its forces along its border with Syria.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said after the airstrike in a post on X that the “painful blows have begun.”
Syria’s Defense Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire.
It said they were “adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.”
Meanwhile, reports of attacks on civilians continued to surface, and Druze with family members in the conflict zone searched desperately for information about their fate amid communication blackouts.
A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control.
The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities, whose fears increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed.
