Egypt Daily News – Israel carried out a series of airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, including a direct hit on the Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus, as part of a widening intervention in the escalating conflict in southern Syria. The strikes, which marked the third consecutive day of Israeli attacks, signal a sharp escalation in regional tensions and a more overt Israeli role in Syria’s internal unrest.
According to Syrian state media, four floors of the Defense Ministry building in central Damascus were destroyed, and at least two officers were injured. Staff reportedly sought shelter in the building’s basement. Another strike targeted the vicinity of the Syrian presidential palace, with video footage showing explosions and smoke rising over the city’s Umayyad Square.
The Israeli military confirmed it was behind the strikes, describing them as a message to Syria’s interim leadership in response to violent clashes in Suweida province, a Druze-majority area in southern Syria. The Defense Ministry and other strategic locations in Damascus were struck just hours after Israeli forces had targeted Syrian military units near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights earlier in the week.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz released a video of the Damascus strike, stating, “The painful strikes have begun,” underscoring Israel’s intention to deter the Syrian military from further deployments near its border.
Tensions in Suweida have intensified rapidly in recent days. The area has seen deadly confrontations between Druze fighters, Bedouin tribal militias, and Syrian government forces. More than 200 people have been killed in the past four days, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Fighting initially erupted following a robbery involving a Druze civilian and Bedouin tribesmen, triggering a cycle of retaliation between the two communities. The Syrian army entered Suweida on Sunday, attempting to quell the violence. However, some Druze militias resisted the military’s presence and launched attacks on government forces.
A temporary ceasefire, announced on Tuesday by the Syrian defense minister and endorsed by the three senior Druze spiritual leaders, quickly collapsed. Fighting resumed shortly after, and civilians in Suweida reported being trapped in their homes without electricity or basic supplies. One local resident recounted watching a neighbor being shot by a sniper, with no one able to retrieve the body due to continued gunfire.
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the most outspoken of the Druze religious leaders, appealed for international intervention to protect the community. The Syrian interior ministry, meanwhile, insisted that stability could only be restored through the full integration of Suweida into the central state.
Israel has justified its military actions as a protective measure for the Druze community, which straddles both sides of the Israel-Syria border. Israeli officials have stated they will not allow Syrian government troops to establish control in the region and have reinforced their military presence along the border.
The strikes have also disrupted fragile diplomatic efforts. Until recently, Israel and Syria had been engaged in preliminary security discussions, with signs of a potential thaw in relations following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. However, the recent violence has reversed those tentative steps toward normalization.
The United States condemned the ongoing violence. U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack urged all parties to de-escalate and negotiate a ceasefire, stressing the need to avoid further civilian casualties.
In a separate incident, a group of Israeli Druze from the Golan Heights reportedly crossed the border into Syria in an attempt to support their kin, before being retrieved by Israeli forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israeli citizens against such actions, saying, “Do not cross the border. You are risking your lives; you could be murdered or taken hostage.”
As the conflict intensifies, the humanitarian situation in Suweida continues to deteriorate, and regional powers appear increasingly drawn into the fray, raising fears of a broader sectarian confrontation with potential spillover beyond Syria’s borders.
