The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Damascus headquarters served as a command center for deploying regime forces to Suwayda, a southern Syrian region gripped by days of deadly clashes between government troops, Druze militias, and Bedouin groups.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Israeli airstrikes on Damascus are hampering Syria's efforts to find and destroy chemical weapons stockpiled during the rule of toppled ruler Bashar al-Assad, a government adviser said on Thursday.

Israel carried out a series of powerful strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus Wednesday, escalating a campaign it says is in support of an Arab minority group involved in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces.

Israel said it struck military targets in Syria's capital to intervene after clashes between Syrian security forces and Bedouins against the Druze in southern Syria.

The Israeli military said it had "struck the entrance gate" of the Syrian regime's military headquarters complex in Damascus.

The Israeli military launched airstrikes in the heart of Damascus on Wednesday, hitting the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters.

Israel has launched strikes near the Syrian Defense Ministry, claiming its support for the religious minority group, the Druze. Moments ago, Syrian government officials and leaders in the Druze religious minority announced a renewed ceasefire following the strikes and after days of clashes that have threatened to unravel the country’s postwar political transition.

Intense fighting raging in southern Syria Hundreds are dead after a week of some of the worst sectarian violence since the fall of the Assad regime. July 19, 2025