The airstrikes come amid violence in and around the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria.
Israel said on Wednesday it launched airstrikes in the Syrian capital of Damascus, damaging the country’s defense ministry near its presidential palace, amid fighting in southern Syria.
“The IDF struck the entrance of the Syrian regime’s military headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on social media platform X.
⭕️The IDF struck the entrance of the Syrian regime's military headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 16, 2025
The IDF continues to monitor developments and the regime's actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria. In accordance with directives from the political echelon,… pic.twitter.com/WSyBFrCiog
Scores of people have been killed this week in violence in and around the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, pitting fighters from the Druze minority against government security forces and members of Bedouin tribes.
“The IDF continues to monitor developments and the regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria. In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the IDF is striking in the area and remains prepared for various scenarios,” the IDF also said on Wednesday.
The Syrian health ministry said the strikes in Damascus wounded 13 people, state news agency SANA said on Wednesday.
The news agency also said that Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike targeting Sweida city and Daraa on Tuesday.
In a statement on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the IDF attacked Syrian forces and their weapons—which the regime “intended to use against the Druze”— that entered Sweida.
Druze are followers of an Abrahamic religion and primarily live in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
“Israel is committed to preventing harm being inflicted on the Druze in Syria, owing to the deep covenant of blood with our Druze citizens in Israel and their historical and familial link to the Druze in Syria,” the statement reads.
“We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them, and to ensure the demilitarization of the region adjacent to our border with Syria.”
A statement from the Syrian leadership on Wednesday said those responsible for lawlessness in Sweida would be held accountable. It said the regime was committed to protecting the rights of the people in Sweida.
