World
16/07/2025

Israel Launches Airstrike on Presidential Palace District in Damascus

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — According to Syria TV, Israeli aircraft carried out an airstrike on the area surrounding the presidential palace in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The report describes the assault as carried out by “Israeli occupation planes.”

Previously, Israeli forces had targeted the Syrian Armed Forces’ General Staff complex in Damascus on two occasions. Syria’s Ministry of Health reported that the most recent wave of airstrikes resulted in the death of one civilian and injuries to 18 others.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to deliver “painful strikes” unless Damascus halted what he described as violence against the Druze community in Syria’s southern Suwayda province.

Reports emerged earlier this week of armed groups attacking Druze villages in the region. In response, local residents formed self-defense units, while Syrian authorities deployed army and interior ministry forces to the conflict zone. The stated aim of the operation is the elimination of illegal armed groups.

Syria’s Ministry of Defense reported that more than 30 people were killed and over 100 injured during the clashes. Among the dead were reportedly 20 fighters from what the ministry referred to as “transitional opposition armed forces.”

Syrian authorities have called for restraint and dialogue, warning that further escalation will only deepen the suffering of the civilian population.

Amid the rising tensions, Druze community leaders in Israel announced a mass strike in solidarity with their co-religionists in Syria, stating that they had become victims of attacks by government forces.