‘The painful blows have started’, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz wrote on social media following the strikes. [Getty]
Israel mounted a major escalation against Syria on Wednesday by bombing the defence ministry in downtown Damascus, just metres away from the headquarters of The New Arab’s affiliate Al-Araby TV.
The broadcaster captured dramatic footage of the multiple waves of bombs dropped by Israeli warplanes in the early afternoon, hours after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to widen strikes against Syria under the pretext of “protecting” the Druze community, amid deadly sectarian fighting in southern Syria.
Syria TV anchor Dima Abodan fled the studio during a live broadcast as explosions at the ministry building were seen behind her.
Footage showed significant damage to a side of the ministry building, which is situated at the iconic Umayyad Square in the heart of the capital.
Syria’s health ministry said the strikes killed at least three people and injured 34 others.
Israel’s military also said it struck a “military target” inside the compound of the presidential palace. Witnesses told AFP they heard explosions in the vicinity of the palace.
“The painful blows have started”, Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media following the strikes, sharing the video clip of Abodan in the studio.
Reem Khabbazy, a journalist for The New Arab, spoke of panic in the building as the Israeli strikes intensified.
An Al-Araby TV staff member suffered light injuries caused by shrapnel, she said.
Katz earlier on Wednesday threatened to expand its attacks against Syrian forces unless they pull out of Suweida, where they have intervened in the ongoing sectarian violence between Druze and Bedouin militias.
“The Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Suweida and withdraw its forces,” Israeli media quoted Katz as saying.
“The IDF will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area and will soon raise the bar if the message is not understood,” he said.
The minister’s comments came as clashes continued in southern Syria, where Damascus deployed troops to quell the worst bout of violence to hit the Druze-majority province since the ouster of the Assad regime.
At least 169 people have been killed – including five children and six women – and more than 200 injured since the violence erupted on Sunday, according to preliminary data collected by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR).
The rights monitor does not include combatants killed in clashes in its tallies.
Witnesses say that forces linked to the government have committed major violations against civilians, including executions, looting and arson.
Ceasefire doubts
A ceasefire announced on Wednesday by the Syrian government and a Druze official to end the violence in Suweida was thrown into uncertainty after another Druze leader called for the fighting to continue.
Syria’s interior ministry and Druze Sheikh Yousef Jarbou said the two sides had agreed to end the violence, a few hours after Israel launched multiple airstrikes against government targets in Damascus.
The announcement was undercut almost immediately by the Druze Spiritual Presidency – which represents the community’s religious leadership – which urged militia to continue fighting pro-government forces until the region is “fully liberated”.
The statement is believed to have been written on behalf of Druze Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, who has rejected all dialogue with Damascus authorities.
It called on Druze armed groups to “continue confronting the criminal armed terrorist gangs that have come to destroy our people and annihilate our existence”.
Fighting continued for a fourth day in Suweida city and the surrounding countryside on Wednesday as Syrian forces clashed with local armed groups.
Israel says it’s ‘protecting’ the Druze
Israeli warplanes have launched a wave of airstrikes against Syrian forces around Suweida over the past three days, hitting military vehicles and gatherings of pro-government forces.
Fresh attacks were reported in Suweida and in the neighbouring Daraa province on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, and his defence minister said Tuesday they instructed the military to bomb Syrian targets in response to “prevent harm to the Druze”.
The Israeli military said it had been told to strike “regime forces and weapons that were brought into the Suweida area”.
Since the Islamist-led government came to power in December, Israel has threatened on several occasions to intervene in Syria on the pretext of protecting the Druze.
Officials, including the Israeli foreign minister, have declared ambitions to fragment the country along sectarian lines.
