Israel strikes Damascus: Injuries reported
Shafaq News – Damascus
Israeli warplanes struck central Damascus on Wednesday, targeting Syria’s Ministry of Defense headquarters, according to the Israeli military.
Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced, on X, that the strike hit the entrance of the General Staff compound and was carried out under “political directives,” adding that Israeli forces remain on high alert amid escalating violence against Druze civilians in Syria.
#عاجل 🔴 أغار جيش الدفاع قبل قليل على بوابة الدخول إلى مجمع الأركان العامة التابع للنظام السوري في منطقة دمشق. 🔴يواصل جيش الدفاع مراقبة التطورات والأعمال ضد المواطنين الدروز في سوريا وبناء على توجيهات المستوى السياسي يهاجم في المنطقة ويبقى في حالة تأهب للسيناريوهات المختلفة.
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) July 16, 2025
Israel’s public broadcaster described the strike as a calculated warning, noting its proximity to Syria’s highest military command center.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported two successive strikes on sensitive sites near the ministry, injuring at least two people, just hours after an earlier Israeli attack targeted a Syrian military vehicle in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda.
#المرصد_السوريإصـ ـابـ ـة اثنين جراء غارتين جويتين #إسرائيليتين بمحيط مبنى قيادة الأركان في #دمشقhttps://t.co/XHOIimnGTd
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) July 16, 2025
SOHR documented 70 Israeli strikes across Syria since the start of 2025—60 by air and 10 by ground—killing 37 individuals and damaging or destroying 102 targets, including weapons depots, command centers, and armored units.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, Israeli aircraft have reportedly carried out nearly 500 strikes across Syria, SOHR reported.
