Israel strikes Syrian military headquarters in Damascus

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Israel bombed the entrance of the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday, in a significant escalation of its campaign of air strikes in the neighbouring country.

The Israeli military also carried out strikes in southern Syria, where violence between Druze militants and Bedouin tribes has flared in recent days, killing dozens of people, and drawing in Syria’s security forces.

Israel’s strike on the defence ministry, which is located on one of the main squares in central Damascus, came after defence minister Israel Katz demanded the Syrian government withdraw its forces from Sweida in southern Syria, where the sectarian violence has been concentrated. Israel has also said it is acting in defence of Syria’s Druze minority.

“The [Israeli military] will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood,” Katz said.

The latest bout of sectarian violence comes as Syria’s transitional government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, struggles to establish control over the whole country in the wake of a rebel offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad’s regime late last year.

Since then, Israel has exploited the security vacuum in its northern neighbour to seize territory along the border. It has also launched multiple air strikes inside Syria targeting military infrastructure, as well as others that it has said are aimed at protecting Druze communities.

Turkish and Arab officials have criticised Israel’s military interventions, saying they undermine Sharaa’s efforts to stabilise the country, which is home to multiple sects, after almost 14 years of civil war.

Syria’s new government, which has said it does not want conflict with its neighbours, had been holding talks with Israel to ease tensions before the latest outbreak of violence.

The Israeli strikes on Wednesday came as Druze leaders in Israel — which is also home to a Druze minority — called for Israel to carry out “air strikes that will thwart the murderous forces operating in southern Syria”.

“If decisive action is not taken, the crisis between us and the State of Israel will deepen in a dangerous and unprecedented way. Silence and standing aside are no longer possible,” Druze leaders said in a statement.