ALWAGHT- The Israeli military has bombed a military command center located in Damascus, Syria.
Tensions between Israel and Syria escalated on Wednesday after Israeli forces launched drone strikes on the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus, reportedly killing one person and injuring 18 others. The attack targeted the main entrance and rear area of the military headquarters, which Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed was struck as part of ongoing strikes against Syrian regime military sites. The strikes come amid heightened conflict in southern Syria, particularly in the Druze-majority city of Suwayda.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Katz, have issued warnings to Syria's interim government, demanding a withdrawal of Syrian forces from Suwayda. They framed the intervention as a protective measure for the Druze population, with Katz warning that failure to comply would result in intensified Israeli responses. Israel considers the Druze a strategic ally due to their historical and familial ties to the occupied Golan Heights.
In the wake of Assad’s government collapse in December 2024, Israel has moved to assert greater control over parts of southern Syria. Netanyahu has ordered military incursions past the 1974 ceasefire’s Alpha Line, a move that violates prior agreements but is being defended by Israeli officials as essential for the security of settlements in the Golan Heights. Far-right ministers have pledged to maintain Israeli military presence in the demilitarized buffer zone despite international legal concerns.
