🇮🇱🇸🇾 Israeli strike on Syrian Ministry of Defense.
— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) 16 July 2025 at 13:37
[image or embed]
Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on Syria. The Syrian Defense Ministry building in Damascus was also reportedly hit.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) 16 July 2025 at 13:50
[image or embed]
Why?!?!?!?!
Israeli defence minister threatens more attacks on Syria
Defence Minister Israel Katz says the Israeli army will continue to attack Syria unless government forces there pull out from the Druze-majority city of Suwayda.
The Israeli army “will continue to strike regime forces until they withdraw from the area, and will soon escalate its response against the regime if the message is not understood”, Katz said in a statement. He issued the message as fighting between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern city this morning, just hours after a ceasefire was announced.
The Syrian Ministry of Defence told Al Jazeera that outlawed groups attacked government forces in the city, breaching the truce. Local news outlet Sweida24 said Suwayda and nearby villages were coming under heavy artillery and mortar fire.
Critics said the Israeli army uses the pretext of protecting the Druze community to hit targets in Syria and further entrench its control beyond areas it already occupies in southern Syria. On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched air raids on Syrian military positions and said the attacks were intended to keep the border area demilitarised and to shield the Druze community.
Israel attacks Syrian army headquarters in Damascus
The Israeli army says it has bombed the entrance gate of the Syrian army’s headquarters in Damascus. The military’s statement comes soon after the sound of an explosion was heard in the Syrian capital.
The Israeli military separately said it was attacking the Druze-majority city of Suwayda in Syria’s south, adding that it was prepared “for various scenarios”.
Earlier, the Syrian state news agency said Israeli drones had targeted the city, causing civilian casualties. The attacks came after fighting in Suwayda between armed groups and government forces resumed today despite a ceasefire agreed on Tuesday.
Israeli army to reinforce border with Syria
The Israeli army says it will send reinforcements to the security fence on the border with Syria. The statement comes as Israel has threatened to continue targeting Syrian forces if they do not withdraw from Suwayda province in southern Syria.
‘A very volatile situation’ as Israel escalates attacks on Syria
We’ve spoken to Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London, about the latest developments in Syria and what has gone wrong since the declaration of a ceasefire in Suwayda on Tuesday.
Here’s what he said:
“We were not just talking about a ceasefire internally within Syria, but we were also told that the US and Israel had reached an agreement for Israeli strikes within Syria to stop at least during nightfall.
“That did not happen because of the events on the ground in Suwayda.
“So what happened here is there is one specific Druze militia led by a cleric who has had relations with Israel in the past and has been tied to the al-Assad regime in the past as well.
“He along with another group of Druze clerics released a statement saying that they welcomed the ceasefire. Later on, he basically said that he had nothing to do with this statement, that it was imposed on him and that he rejects it entirely – and his group began fighting again.
“And when they began fighting again, Israel stepped up its strikes once more, supposedly to protect the Druze community but more likely here to coordinate and defend this one specific Druze militia with whom Israel has now deepening and more extensive ties since the fall of the al-Assad regime.
“So this is a very volatile situation. This has not stayed just in Suwayda. It has escalated to Damascus with Israeli strikes on Syrian government military targets.
“It looks like Israel and Syria are descending very quickly towards the paradigm of open and direct confrontation, which is a far cry from where we were a week ago when there was talk of normalisation or at least a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the al-Sharaa regime in Damascus.”
Israel looking ‘to export the Lebanon model to Syria’
Chaotic scenes at the Syria-Israeli border
The Israeli army says it identified dozens of people who tried to enter Israeli territory from Syria. It also said a number of Israeli citizens crossed the border into the Majdal Shams area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli troops “continue to monitor developments in readiness for defence and various scenarios”, it added.
Footage posted online and verified by Al Jazeera showed a group of people crossing the border fence into Syria.
כאוס בגבול סוריה: מאות פרצו את הגדר | תיעוד@ItayBlumental https://t.co/WiyBaf4IzU pic.twitter.com/JpBgZuOWMB
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 16, 2025
Syrian Druze protest at the border with Israel
Syrian Druze protest near the Israeli-Syrian border, as seen from the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in Syria
Netanyahu calls on Druze citizens of Israel to refrain from crossing into Syria
In an address to the Druze community in Israel, Netanyahu says the situation in Suwayda in southern Syria is “very severe” as the Israeli army continues to carry out strikes on the Syrian military, purportedly to protect the minority Druze community.
Netanyahu said the army was working to “save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime gangs”.
“And now I have one request from you: You are the citizens of Israel. Don’t pass the border. “You endanger your life. You can be murdered. You can be kidnapped, and you hurt the [Israeli army’s] efforts. So I ask you – go back to your homes, let the [army] act,” he added.
Ben-Gvir calls for ‘elimination’ of Syrian president
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said that the “only solution” with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa “is to eliminate him”.
“The horrific images from Syria prove one thing: once a jihadist, always a jihadist. Those who kill, shave mustaches, humiliate, and rape should not be negotiated with,” Ben-Gvir said on X.
“I love the Druze citizens in the State of Israel, and I embrace them warmly, and I tell them: we must cut off the head of the snake,” he added.
Ben-Gvir has previously been convicted on charges of supporting a Jewish “terrorist organisation” and of incitement to racism against Arabs and non-Jews.
Israeli army strikes more targets in Syria
The Israeli army says it is continuing to bomb southern Syria. The military says it has targeted tanks, rocket launchers, weapons and pickup trucks with heavy machineguns making their way to Suwayda.
Syrian presidency condemns Suwayda attacks, promises to hold those responsible to account
Syria’s presidency has issued a statement saying the attacks in the Suwayda governorate constitute “criminal and illegal behaviour” and cannot be accepted.
“We, in the Syrian government, strongly condemn these heinous acts and affirm our full commitment to investigating all related incidents and holding accountable all those proven to be involved,” state media quoted the statement as saying.
“Any party responsible for these acts, whether individuals or outlawed organisations, will be held accountable under strict legal measures, and we will not allow them to go unpunished.”
The presidency assured residents in Suwayda that their rights would “always be protected, and that we will not allow any party to tamper with their security or stability”.
The statement was issued as the Israeli army continues to carry out attacks on Suwayda.
Columns of smoke rise over Syrian Defence Ministry
Smoke is billowing over the Syrian Defence Ministry. Just a few minutes ago, there were at least three to four strikes. Twenty minutes ago, there were two strikes, and a few hours ago, there was an Israeli drone strike at the entrance of that building.
Israeli warplanes are circling the skies over the Syrian capital.
There’s panic in the city, especially after the first major strike approximately 20 minutes ago.
‘The heavy blows have started’: Israeli defence minister
Israel Katz has posted these words on X above a video showing a Syrian presenter abruptly taking shelter after a large explosion in central Damascus.
החלו המכות הכואבות pic.twitter.com/1kJFFXoiua
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 16, 2025
In a separate statement, Israel’s defence minister said the Israeli army will continue “to operate vigorously in Suwayda to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until they withdraw completely”.
Three killed, 34 injured in Damascus strikes
Syria’s Health Ministry says the number of people killed in the Israeli attacks on the capital has now risen to at least three, up from one earlier. At least 34 other people were wounded, it added.
A view of the damaged General Staff Headquarters in central Damascus
Israel confirms attacks on Syrian army HQ, presidential palace
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.
Israeli army says some troops in Gaza to be deployed to Syrian border
An Israeli military official has told reporters during a briefing that some soldiers in Gaza are “preparing to be deployed on our northern border with Syria”.
Separately, the commander of Israel’s Northern Command, Ori Gordin, said Israeli forces were “operating decisively” in the Suwayda area.
“We are increasing the pressure and the pace of the strikes. We also carried out strikes in Damascus and will continue to strike throughout southern Syria,” he added.
A look back at Israel’s military campaign against Syria in December
In light of the latest events in Damascus, as well as the southern city of Suwayda, let’s take a look back at December, when Israel launched hundreds of attacks across Syria:
‘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.”
Israel’s main goal has been to ‘divide and weaken Syria’
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara has called the Israeli attacks in Syria “vulgar exhibitionism”, saying Israel is “once again trying to prove to all its neighbours that it is the new regional hegemon”.
Bishara said that Israel, which is supported by the US, has been able to bomb Beirut, Damascus, Tehran and Sanaa, and feels it is capable of dictating policy in the Middle East.
Israel’s “main goal has been to divide and weaken Syria, turn its minorities, whether they are Druze or Kurds or Alawites, against the central government in Damascus”, he said.
It is also a way for Israel to deflect from its genocide in Gaza by bombing Syria, Bishara noted, adding the attacks in Syria are “yet another Israeli aggression in a neighbouring country”.
He also said the Israeli government will say the attacks are “to protect the minorities in Syria – in this case, the Druze”.
Bishara added, “Since the 1950s, Israel has pretended to be the protector of minorities, like the French colonialists … like the American imperialists, the British … every foreign power comes to the region, and they want to be protectors of minorities to weaken countries in the region to impose their will, and here we have it again.”
Israel doesn’t want Syrian forces at ‘deconfliction line’
Haid Haid, consulting fellow at Chatham House, says Israel’s attack on Damascus is “not a complete surprise,” but targeting the Defence Ministry and the presidential palace is an escalation not seen before.
“Israel has been quite clear since the fall of the [Bashar al-Assad] regime in December that they don’t want the forces affiliated with the new state in Syria to be deployed to the deconfliction line in southern Syria. And they have been trying to use different tactics in order to advance that objective,” Haid told Al Jazeera.
One way Israel is trying to advance that plan is to present itself as the “protectors” of the Druze community, Haid said.
Syria is currently not in a position to retaliate against the attacks, he added, noting that when the interim government came to power, it said it wouldn’t “cause trouble for any of the actors in the region”, and would instead focus on domestic issues.
Israeli soldiers patrol the dividing line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syria
Netanyahu needs war to appease coalition, disrupt corruption trial: Analyst
Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu is “infatuated” with his wartime role and “wants to maintain and perpetuate an atmosphere of war” for his political survival, an analyst says.
“There’s Gaza, there’s no ceasefire, there’s Iran… Now there is Syria in the background,” said columnist and former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas. Fighting a war on many fronts also helps appease far-right members of his coalition and adds another disruption to his ongoing corruption trial.
“Today he was testifying and asked the judges, which they agreed to, to suspend the trial because he had important national security issues to deal with,” Pinkas told Al Jazeera.
About Us |
Terms of Use |
Privacy Policy |
Advertise |
Staff |
Contact
Display As Desktop
Display As Mobile
© 2006-2026 VGChartz Ltd. All rights reserved.
