SAEDNEWS: The Israeli regime’s military launched a series of deadly airstrikes on Syria’s capital Damascus and other areas on Sunday, killing at least three and wounding dozens, as tensions escalated over ongoing clashes in the southern province of Suwayda.
Israeli warplanes targeted key sites in Damascus, including areas near the presidential palace and the Syrian ministry of defense.
The Syrian government confirmed that at least three people were killed and dozens wounded in the attacks.
State media described the strikes as a “blatant act of aggression” and condemned Israel for deliberately targeting military infrastructure to destabilize the country further.
The airstrikes follow Israel's warning to Damascus that continued deployment of Syrian troops in Suwayda would provoke further escalation.
According to Syrian officials, the military has begun withdrawing some units from Suwayda, stating, “The army has started implementing the terms of the agreement after completing operations to remove outlaw groups.”
However, the defense ministry did not clarify the status of other government security forces still present in the city.
The ceasefire declared by Damascus came after violent confrontations between Druze fighters and government-affiliated forces, including allied tribal militias.
Local sources and social media footage show both sides committing abuses.
Videos depict government-linked fighters desecrating Druze symbols and humiliating religious sheikhs, while other clips show Druze fighters executing captured government troops and looting homes.
Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa condemned the violence, stating, “These criminal and illegal actions cannot be accepted under any circumstances, and completely contradict the principles that the Syrian state is built on.”
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported over 300 people killed since clashes erupted in Suwayda last week.
Israel’s latest criminal actions mark a significant intensification of its military campaign in Syria, where it has conducted hundreds of strikes since seizing control of the UN-monitored Golan Heights demilitarized zone.
Many analysts view the Israeli policy as a strategy to maintain instability in Syria while avoiding a consolidated threat along its border.
Former US intelligence official Glenn Carle told Al Jazeera, “Destroying the Ministry of Defense of a very weak government strikes me as using a sledgehammer when possibly a strong statement might have been more effective.”
“Israel would choose chaos and weakness to dealing with a coherent threat,” he added.
Syria’s government — currently under the leadership of a former militant commander with long-standing ties to al-Qaeda — has called on the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency session to address what it termed “ongoing Israeli aggression.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi condemned the Israeli strikes, as “criminal” and “unhinged.”
“The rabid Israeli regime knows no bounds and only grasps one language. The world, including the region, must unite to end its unhinged aggression,” he said
