At least three people were killed and 34 wounded on Wednesday as Israel launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Damascus, intensifying its military operations in Syria.
The Israeli government claims the strikes are meant to back the embattled Druze minority, who are locked in fierce clashes with forces loyal to the Syrian regime.
The Syrian health ministry confirmed the casualty figures, reporting that the attacks resulted in three fatalities and injuries to 34 others.
The fresh wave of strikes comes despite growing diplomatic pressure from the United States, which has taken recent steps to reengage Syria on the international stage.
As tensions rise, the Syrian government declared a new ceasefire with the Druze community.
However, internal divisions within the group have raised doubts about whether the truce will hold.
One of the strikes dramatically interrupted a live broadcast from a Syrian television station, as the Ministry of Defense building was struck on air, prompting the presenter to seek shelter.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz later shared the footage, declaring, “the painful blows have begun.”
An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed during a press briefing that the operation targeted the defense ministry and an area close to the presidential palace.
Israel has ramped up its operations in Syria since the collapse of the Assad regime last December.
Officials say the strikes are in defense of the Druze population, which has been at the center of escalating violence with pro-government factions. But the offensive is also seen as part of Israel’s broader opposition to Syria’s new leadership.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously described Syria’s new rulers as an “extremist Islamic regime” and a direct threat to Israel’s security.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar echoed this sentiment, stating Wednesday: “We want to maintain the status quo in southern Syria – an area near our border – and prevent the emergence of threats against Israel in that space.”
Fragile Truce Talks
The Druze, an Arab minority sect of about one million people concentrated in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, follow a secretive offshoot of Islam that forbids both conversion and intermarriage.
The community is led by a decentralized network of leaders.
Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has pledged to protect religious minorities and promote inclusivity.
However, forces loyal to him, many of them Sunni extremists, have reportedly continued violent crackdowns on minority groups.
Clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in the southern city of Suwayda over the weekend triggered a military response from the Syrian government.
Officials in Damascus said on Wednesday that a new ceasefire agreement had been reached.
Under this arrangement, military operations would cease entirely, a joint monitoring committee would be formed with Druze representatives, and local leaders would assume control of security in the region.
Youssef Jarbou, a Druze spiritual leader involved in the talks, confirmed the terms of the deal, saying it includes a “complete and immediate halt to all military operations and de-escalation from all sides, with the army returning to its barracks.”
But unity remains elusive. Prominent Druze figure Hikmat Al Hijri, who had earlier appealed for international intervention, rejected the deal outright and called on his followers to continue their resistance.
Crisis on the Ground
Fighting continued into Wednesday despite the ceasefire announcement. Fadi Hamdan, a resident and carpenter from Suwayda, described the worsening conditions in the city.
“The situation inside the city is dire,” he told CNN. “Electricity has been out since yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Mobile service is extremely weak, and the internet barely works. Landlines are completely down. Water was also cut off yesterday, though it returned briefly this morning.”
Hamdan blamed the crisis squarely on Syria’s interim leadership. “The current Syrian interim government bears full responsibility for what’s happening in Suwayda.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced concerns over the situation. “We’re talking with both sides, all the relevant sides and hopefully we can bring it to a conclusion but we’re very concerned,” he said.
The Druze in Syria are primarily concentrated in three provinces near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where they form a majority in Suwayda.
More than 20,000 Druze also reside in the Golan Heights, a region Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in 1981.
In recent days, videos circulating online showed people carrying Druze flags crossing from the Golan Heights into Syria, seemingly in response to calls from Druze leaders to support the embattled community.
Addressing those in Israel and the Golan Heights, Prime Minister Netanyahu urged restraint.
“I have one request for you: You are citizens of Israel. Do not cross the border,” he said.
