The Israeli army has launched air attacks on the Syrian Defence Ministry and near the presidential palace in the capital, Damascus, killing at least one and wounding 18.
The strikes come after Israel threatened to increase attacks if Syrian government forces are not withdrawn from the south of the country where there has been fighting between Druze and security forces.
The Israeli army has confirmed it targeted Syria’s army headquarters in Damascus and a “military target” near the presidential palace.
“The [military] continues to monitor developments and the regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria. In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the [military] is conducting strikes in the area and remains prepared for various scenarios,” it wrote on Telegram.
So far, one person has been killed and 18 others wounded in Israeli attacks on Damascus, according to Syria’s Health Ministry.
Our correspondent in Damascus, Zeina Khodr, breaks it all down:
Israel struck twice today in the heart of Damascus, warning the Syrian government that it will escalate its attacks if Syrian government troops do not withdraw from Suwayda in southern Syria.
The Syrian government said it sent troops to the south to restore order after clashes erupted between Druze and Bedouin fighters.
Government forces advanced, taking three-quarters of the city.
The Druze community is not united on how to engage with the new Syrian authorities.
Some recognise the new government in Damascus, even though they remain sceptical and have concerns. Others, led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, are opposed to the government, calling the new authorities “extremists”.
This is not the first bout of violence in the south since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December. Previous clashes all ended with negotiated settlements that allowed some degree of autonomy to Druze fighters to exert control in the southern area.
And then there is Israel. Israeli authorities have repeatedly said that they want the area in southwestern Syria, along with its borders, free from government forces. They want a demilitarised zone.
The Syrian government now faces a dilemma: either pull out from southern Syria – giving in to Israeli demands and agreeing to allow a degree of autonomy to the Druze community, at the cost of failing to exert authority across the whole country – or maintain troops there and face greater instability.
The bombing came hours after the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, threatened the Syrian government to withdraw from Suwayda, where fierce clashes have occurred in recent days with fighters from Syria’s Druze minority.
After the strikes on Damascus, Katz posted a video of a Syrian presenter abruptly taking shelter after a large explosion was seen and heard behind her, with the caption, “The heavy blows have started.”
‘No clear objectives’ to Israel’s strikes on Syria
Ammar Kahf, executive director of Omran Center for Strategic Studies, says Israel is seeking to cause “havoc and chaos” in Syria to destabilise the new government after its major bombardment.
“It refuses the right of the central government to control all areas, and it continues to want to impose its own rule [in Syria]. There are rumours now of an additional land incursion and more conditions placed on Damascus,” Kahf told Al Jazeera.
He said Israel is not acting with “an endgame” when it comes to the regional conflicts it’s engaged in.
“No one really knows the end result; there is no logic to this. There are no clear objectives of this operation. The puzzling part is the Syrian government has shown a tremendous amount of self-restraint during the past nine months on the incursions, the occupation, and all the attacks by the Israelis.”
