A powerful series of airstrikes rocked the Syrian capital of Damascus on Wednesday, with Syrian state media reporting that Israel was responsible for the attacks, which included a direct hit on the country’s Ministry of Defense building.
The dramatic escalation was captured in stunning live video from a Syrian television channel, which showed the ministry building being struck while a news anchor was on the air, forcing the journalist to take cover. The footage was later shared by Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, who posted it with a grim warning: “The painful blows have begun.”
The strikes mark a significant intensification of Israel’s recent military actions in Syria, which it says are part of a commitment to protect the Druze, an Arab minority community centered in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda. The region has been the site of fierce clashes in recent days between local Druze forces and Bedouin tribes, which prompted an intervention by the Syrian government on the side of the Bedouin fighters.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had struck the entrance to the headquarters of Syria’s defense ministry. The state-run Syrian News Channel reported that two civilians were injured as a result of that strike.
The news came shortly after Defense Minister Katz issued a direct threat, stating that his country would soon intensify its attacks on Syrian government forces if they did not withdraw from Suwayda.
The full extent of the damage and the number of casualties from the latest, more powerful series of strikes on the capital remain unclear. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
