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Israel strikes near Syrian army HQ in Damascus

Israel strikes near Syrian army HQ in Damascus

RTÉ News​16-07-2025
An Israeli strike hit near the Syrian army and defence ministry headquarters in Damascus, the state-run Alekhbariya channel reported on Telegram, after Israel's military said it had struck there.
A loud explosion was heard echoing throughout much of the capital, shortly after a first air strike had targeted the same building in the city centre.
It marked the third day in a row that Israel has struck Syria where government security forces have clashed with local Druze fighters in the southern city of Sweida.
Security sources from within the defence ministry said that at least two drone strikes had hit the building and that officers were taking cover in the basement.
State-owned Elekhbariya TV said the Israeli strike wounded two civilians.
The Israeli military said it had "struck the entrance gate of the Syrian regime's military headquarters complex" in Damascus and that it continued "to monitor developments and the actions being taken against Druze civilians in southern Syria".
Syria's state media and witnesses said Israeli strikes throughout also struck the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where a fourth day of fighting swiftly collapsed a ceasefire announced the previous evening.
Syrian government troops were dispatched to the Sweida region on Monday to quell fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin armed men but ended up clashing with the Druze militias themselves.
Local news outlet Sweida24 said the city of Sweida and nearby villages were coming under heavy artillery and mortar fire. Syria's defence ministry, in a statement carried by state news agency SANA, blamed outlaw groups in Sweida for breaching the truce.
The defence ministry called on residents of the city to stay indoors.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Druze not to try to enter Syria, after dozens crossed the armistice line in both directions following deadly fighting in the Druze heartland.
"Do not cross the border," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement, warning of a "very serious" situation in Sweida, where the Islamist-led government has intervened in deadly clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters.
The European Union said it was "alarmed" by the continued clashes in the region and called on all sides to implement a ceasefire and protect civilians.
A statement by the EU's diplomatic arm also urged "all external actors" to "fully respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" after Israel carried out strikes in support of the Druze.
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