![The damaged Syrian Ministry of Defense building, which houses the military]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2025/07/CP-2023-0309/30691795.jpg)
DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel launched powerful airstrikes in Damascus on Wednesday, obliterating part of the Defense Ministry and striking near the presidential palace. The attacks came as Israel vowed to neutralize government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria and demanded their immediate withdrawal.
Israel has characterized Syria’s new rulers as thinly veiled jihadists and declared it will not permit their forces to advance into southern Syria. Responding to calls from its own Druze minority, Israel has committed to shielding the region’s Druze population from attack.
U.S. officials expressed optimism that the fighting would cease shortly.
We have engaged all parties involved in the Syrian clashes. We’ve agreed on specific measures to end this alarming situation tonight, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced via social media.
Diplomats confirmed that the United Nations Security Council will convene Thursday to address the conflict.
The council must condemn the atrocities committed against innocent civilians on Syrian soil, Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, stated. Israel will continue to act decisively against any terrorist threat on its borders, wherever and whenever necessary.
This week’s violence in and around the predominantly Druze city of Sweida has resulted in numerous casualties, as Druze fighters clashed with government security forces and Bedouin tribesmen.
Reuters correspondents reported low-flying warplanes over the capital, unleashing a barrage of strikes Wednesday afternoon. Smoke billowed from the vicinity of the Defense Ministry, where a section of the building lay in ruins.
A Syrian medical source confirmed that the strikes on the ministry killed five security personnel.
An Israeli military official verified strikes on the entrance to Damascus military headquarters and a military target near the presidential palace. The official accused Syrian forces of failing to prevent attacks on Druze communities and being complicit in the violence.
We will not allow southern Syria to become a terrorist stronghold, declared Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief of staff.
Sharaa faces significant hurdles in reunifying Syria amid deep-seated mistrust from groups fearing Islamist rule. March’s mass killings of Alawite minority members have further exacerbated these tensions.
On Monday, Syrian government troops deployed to Sweida to quell fighting between Druze fighters and armed Bedouins. However, the situation escalated when troops clashed with Druze militias.
A Reuters witness reported renewed clashes in the city, contradicting earlier ceasefire announcements by the Syrian Interior Ministry and Druze leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou.
Sweida residents described being trapped indoors. We’re surrounded and can hear fighters shouting… we’re terrified, one resident said via phone.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard in the background. We’re trying to keep the children quiet so no one discovers us, the man added, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Syria’s Health Ministry reported discovering dozens of bodies, including fighters and civilians, in a Sweida hospital.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights tallied 169 deaths in this week’s violence, while security sources estimated 300 casualties. Reuters could not independently verify these figures.
The Druze, adherents of an offshoot of Islam, are spread across Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
Responding to calls to aid Syrian Druze, numerous Israeli Druze breached the border fence Wednesday, making contact with Syrian Druze, according to a Reuters witness.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the military is working to protect the Druze and urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border. Military officials confirmed efforts to safely return civilians who had crossed.
Faez Shkeir, an Israeli Druze, expressed his anguish watching the violence unfold in Syria. My family is in Syria — my wife, my uncles, all in Sweida. It’s unbearable to see them killed, driven from their homes, robbed, and their houses burned. Yet I’m powerless to help, he lamented.
On Tuesday, a Reuters reporter witnessed government forces looting and burning homes, and stealing vehicles and furniture in Sweida. One resident showed the reporter his brother’s body, shot in the head inside their home.
A Syrian government statement Wednesday pledged to hold those responsible for the lawlessness in Sweida accountable.
The statement reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting Sweida residents’ rights.
Sharaa has repeatedly vowed to safeguard minority communities.
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