Journalists run for cover as Israel strikes Damascus

Israel launched air attacks on the Syrian ministry of defence in Damascus on Wednesday, claiming to be intervening in support of a minority group after days of deadly clashes in the south of the country.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz shared video showing the moment a Syrian journalist cowered in fear as Israeli strikes rocked the building behind her. Al Jazeera footage from another angle showed huge plumes of smoke billowing into the air as a reporter scrambled for cover.

The attack came hours after a drone strike on the same building. Israel also reportedly launched air strikes near the presidential palace in the capital, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

At least one person is said to have died and 18 have been wounded in the capital, according to state media, citing the country's Health Ministry. The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed any casualties.

Zeina Khodr, a reporter for Al Jazeera in Damascus, said: 'Israeli warplanes are circling the skies over the Syrian capital. There's panic in the city, especially after the first major strike.' She reported 'at least three to four strikes' had occurred. 

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, wrote on X that the Israeli army had struck the entrance gate to the General Staff compound in Damascus. He added that the military 'continues to monitor developments and actions against Druze civilians in Syria'.

Israel had vowed to ramp up its attacks unless Syrian government forces withdrew from the southern city of Suwayda. Tensions have mounted since Syria's government sent troops to quell unrest between Druze and Bedouin fighters in the region.

Witnesses, Druze armed groups and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Syrian troops took part in fighting with the Bedouin against the Druze, which Israel has vowed to protect.

The Britain-based war monitor, with sources inside Syria, said that 21 Druze civilians had been killed 'in summary executions by government forces' and allied groups.

At least 248 people have been killed in the province since the violence erupted on Sunday, it reported. 

Israel threatened to escalate its attacks unless Syrian government troops withdrew. 

After days of clashes, Israel launched a series of strikes targeting government troops and convoys, which it says were in support of the religious minority group.

Reuters reporters heard warplanes swoop low over the capital on Wednesday and unleash a series of massive strikes on central Damascus. The cityscape was blanketed in smoke with a thick plume rising from the defence ministry. 

Writing on social media, Israel Katz said that the 'painful blows have begun.'

He promised that troops would 'operate forcefully in Suwayda to eliminate the forces that attacked the Druze until their full withdrawal'. 

Syria's Defence Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Suwayda for violating a ceasefire agreement, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire.

It said they were 'adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.' 

The Syrian Ministry of Defence had declared a 'complete ceasefire' in the southern province on Tuesday, qualifying that government forces would only respond to attacks by what the ministry described as 'outlawed groups'.

Military police units were reportedly sent to the region to regulate army conduct and hold violators accountable, minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said.

Syrian government forces had taken three-quarters of Suwayda after they were deployed to restore order in the region.

While some Druze recognise the new government in Damascus, others are wary of the new leadership.

Some 153,000 Druze are Israeli citizens, living mainly in the north. In the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967, more than 22,000 Druze hold permanent resident status, but maintain family ties inside Syria. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February that southern Syria must be completely demilitarised and that Israel would not accept the presence of Damascus's Islamist-led government near its territory.

The US, UK and EU began removing sanctions against Syria this month, acknowledging the new transitional government that displaced Bashar Al-Assad in December. 

But Israel has continued to pound the country with air strikes, and announced plans to increase the number of settlers to the occupied Golan Heights.

In the past, the new government has resolved clashes by granting a degree of autonomy to Druze fighters.