KEY POINTS
- Israeli airstrikes hit sites near the Syrian presidential palace and Defence Ministry in Damascus.
- Syria’s Health Ministry said at least one killed and 18 were wounded in the attacks.
- Israel said the strikes aimed to protect the Druze community amid unrest in Suwayda.
- Israeli Defence Minister Katz warned of continued military action against Damascus.
- GCC, Turkiye, France, and the EU condemned the strikes, calling them violations of Syrian sovereignty.
- The US envoy urged restraint and a return to dialogue.
DAMASCUS, Syria: Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday targeted high-level military and government sites in Syria’s capital Damascus, including areas near the presidential palace and the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence.
Smoke was seen rising from the vicinity of the presidential palace shortly after the Israeli strikes, Reuters reported.
Syrian state television confirmed that sites near the Syrian army and defence ministry headquarters were also hit.
Syria’s Ministry of Health reported that at least one person was killed and 18 people were wounded in the Israeli strikes, with powerful explosions heard across the capital. Al Jazeera TV broadcast live footage showing severe damage to the Ministry of Defence building.
According to Channel 12 in Israel, the strikes were part of a coordinated assault that also targeted the entrance to Syria’s General Staff complex.
#عاجل 🔴 جيش الدفاع يواصل ضرب أهداف عسكرية للنظام السوري في دمشق
🔴هاجم جيش الدفاع قبل قليل مقر الأركان العامة التابع للنظام السوري في منطقة دمشق.
🔴يدير قادة النظام السوري من مقر الأركان العامة في دمشق القتال ويقومون بإرسال قوات النظام إلى منطقة السويداء.
🔴كما تمت مهاجمة… pic.twitter.com/Kw3D6nqt7E
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) July 16, 2025
The Israeli Defence Ministry said these were the beginning of “painful attacks on Syria,” with additional fighter jets and drones deployed to the Syrian front.
Israeli military radio also reported the mobilisation of two brigades towards the Golan Heights.
Syria says Israeli strikes a ‘dangerous escalation’
Syria said Israeli strikes on Wednesday were a “dangerous escalation” following raids near the presidential palace and on army headquarters in the capital.
“Syria holds Israel fully responsible for this dangerous escalation and its consequences, and affirms that it retains all its legitimate rights to defend its land and people by all means permitted under international law,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It also called on the international community to “take urgent, concrete measures to put an end to Israel’s repeated acts of aggression”.
The escalation came after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning to the Syrian government, cautioning it “leave the Druze alone” in the southern city of Suwayda, where clashes between Druze factions, Bedouin tribes, and government forces have erupted in recent days.
Katz warned that “warning messages to Damascus are over—now come the decisive blows.”
החלו המכות הכואבות pic.twitter.com/1kJFFXoiua
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 16, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the strikes, stating that they aimed to “rescue our Druze brothers and eliminate regime armed groups.”
He reiterated that Israel would not accept the presence of Syrian government forces near its borders, calling for the demilitarisation of southern Syria. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly ordered a surge in Israeli airpower.
The Israeli strikes have drawn strong condemnation from regional and international actors.
New ceasefire in Sweida
Syria said a new ceasefire was reached Wednesday in Suwayda, a day after an earlier truce collapsed amid days of clashes that have killed more than 300, according to a monitor, AFP reported.
“An agreement was reached for a ceasefire in Suwayda and the deployment of security checkpoints in the city,” an unidentified interior ministry source said in a statement carried by state news agency SANA.
US hopeful of quick ‘de-escalation’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Washington hoped to ease tensions in Syria, as he voiced concern over violence that has included Israeli strikes on its neighbour.
“In the next few hours, we hope to see some real progress to end what you’ve been seeing over the last couple of hours,” Rubio told reporters in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump nodded.
Rubio blamed “historic longtime rivalries” for the clashes in the city of Sweida, which Israel has cited for its latest military intervention.
“It led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, it looks like, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side,” Rubio said of the situation.
“We’ve been engaged with them all morning long and all night long — with both sides — and we think we’re on our way towards a real deescalation and then hopefully get back on track and helping Syria build the country and arriving at a situation in the Middle East that is far more stable,” said Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security advisor.
Rubio, asked by a reporter earlier in the day at the State Department what he thought of Israel’s bombing, said, “We’re very concerned about it. We want it to stop.”
The State Department afterward issued fuller comments. “We are very worried about the violence in southern Syria. It is a direct threat to efforts to help build a peaceful and stable Syria,” Rubio said in a statement.
“We have been and remain in repeated and constant talks with the governments of Syria and Israel on this matter.”
GCC condemns Israeli strikes
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) denounced the Israeli air campaign as a “flagrant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty and a breach of international law.
GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi described the strikes as an “irresponsible escalation” that threatened regional security, urging the international community to hold Israel accountable and protect Syrian sovereignty.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks, saying they were an attempt to “sabotage Syria’s efforts to ensure peace.”
The ministry urged international stakeholders to support Syria’s reintegration into the global community.
Meanwhile, France called for an “immediate cessation of clashes” in Suwayda, condemning reported abuses against civilians.
The European Union also expressed alarm over the situation and urged all external actors to respect Syria’s territorial integrity.
Tom Barrack, the US Special Envoy to Syria, issued a statement on social media urging restraint and dialogue.
“We unequivocally condemn violence against civilians in Suwayda,” he said, calling for a lasting ceasefire and accountability for perpetrators.
We unequivocally condemn violence against civilians in Suwayda. Full stop. All parties must step back and engage in meaningful dialogue that leads to a lasting ceasefire. Perpetrators need to be held accountable.
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) July 16, 2025
