Israel Strikes Syrian Military HQ Near Damascus
The Israeli military struck a Syrian army HQ near Damascus and targets in al-Suwayda. The IDF said it's acting to protect Druze civilians amid deadly clashes and will continue to strike based on directives from the political echelon.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Wednesday it has struck a Syrian military headquarters near Damascus, a significant escalation in its intervention aimed at protecting the Druze population amid deadly clashes in the country's south.
In a statement posted on its official X account, the IDF confirmed its expanding operations. "The IDF struck the entrance of the Syrian regime's military headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria," the post read.
The military added that it "continues to monitor developments and the regime's actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria," and that it is acting on "directives from the political echelon" and "remains prepared for various scenarios."
⭕️The IDF struck the entrance of the Syrian regime's military headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 16, 2025
The IDF continues to monitor developments and the regime's actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria. In accordance with directives from the political echelon,… pic.twitter.com/WSyBFrCiog
This confirmation of a strike near the Syrian capital followed earlier reports from Syrian state media that Israeli drones had targeted the Druze-majority city of al-Suwayda itself. Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that "Israeli occupation drones target the city of al-Suwayda," and an AFP correspondent witnessed a strike on a military truck at the city’s western entrance where government forces were gathered.
The attacks make good on explicit threats issued by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who had earlier warned of an intensified military response if Damascus did not withdraw its forces from the region.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu and I have instructed the IDF to immediately strike regime forces and weapons that were introduced into the al-Suwayda area," Katz had written on his X account, framing the Syrian deployment as a "violation of the demilitarization policy." He later promised to "raise the level of responses against the regime if the message is not understood."
Katz justified the intervention by citing the "deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical connection to the Druze in Syria." His sentiment was echoed by Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the head of Israel's Druze community, who called the crisis "an existential battle for the Druze community."
Israel’s direct military action follows a desperate plea from the Spiritual Leadership of the Druze Unitarian Muslims to "Save al-Suwayda," in which they named Prime Minister Netanyahu among other world leaders. They described the situation as an "extermination" with "massacres being committed in full view of the world."
The violence in the province, which began on July 13, has resulted in nearly 250 deaths, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The war monitor reported that Syrian government forces participated in the fighting alongside Bedouin tribes against the Druze, and that at least 21 civilians were summarily executed.
