Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian military HQ in Damascus amid tensions
The escalation follows Israel's warning to Damascus over targeting the Druze community in southern Syria.
Syrian state television reported the strikes occurred near Umayyad Square, close to the military headquarters in central Damascus.
Al Jazeera's live broadcast captured multiple explosions, with smoke rising from the damaged building.
Earlier, Syrian government forces had clashed with Druze fighters in Sweida city, an area previously under Druze control.
The Israeli military confirmed targeting the headquarters, while Syria's health ministry reported nine injuries.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning, stating, 'The signals to Damascus are over -- now come the painful blows.'
He emphasised that Israel would act forcefully in Sweida to push back forces involved in attacks on the Druze.
The latest strikes mark a significant escalation in tensions between Israel and Syria, with regional stability at risk. – AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Malaysia
4 hours ago
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza during phone call with Israeli PM Netanyahu
In the wake of the Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, Pope Leo XIV and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak by phone, with the Pope reaffirming the urgent need to protect places of worship and achieve a ceasefire. Jul 19, 2025 A view of the damage to the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza By Deborah Castellano LubovAmid the ongoing turmoil in the Holy Land, Pope Leo XIV and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Friday. The Holy Father renewed his appeal for negotiations and a ceasefire in Gaza, according to the Holy See Press Office. "Friday morning, in his residence at Castel Gandolfo, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, following yesterday's military attack by the Israeli army that struck the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, killing three people and injuring others, including some seriously," said the Press Office in a statement. "During the conversation," it noted, "the Holy Father repeated his appeal for a renewed push for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war." Moreover, it added, Pope Leo "again expressed his concern about the tragic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose children, elderly, and sick are paying an agonizing price." "Finally," the statement concluded, "the Holy Father reiterated the urgent need to protect places of worship and, especially, the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel." The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in Gaza, was struck by Israel on Thursday morning, resulting in three deaths and 10 injuries, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli. In a statement, the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem appealed to leaders "to raise their voices and to do all that is necessary in order to stop this tragedy, which is humanly and morally unjustified."--Vatican News
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Singapore is facing 'serious' cyberattack, says National Security Minister K. Shanmugam
Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said that Singapore is facing serious threats from state-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) actors. - PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO via The Straits Times/ANN SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore announced it was battling a "serious" cyberattack against its critical infrastructure, attributing the hack to an espionage group that experts have linked to China. The attack, a kind of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), poses a serious danger to the city-state, Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said in a speech late Friday. An APT refers to a cyberattack where an intruder establishes and maintains unauthorised access to a target, remaining undetected for a sustained period of time. "I can say that it is serious and it is ongoing. And it has been identified to be UNC3886," he said. Shanmugam, who is also home affairs minister, did not elaborate on the group's sponsors or the origin of the attack. But Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant described UNC3886 as a "highly adept China-nexus cyber espionage group". APT actors typically steal sensitive information and disrupt essential services, such as healthcare, telecoms, water, transport and power, minister Shanmugam said. "If it succeeds, it can conduct espionage and it can cause major disruption to Singapore and Singaporeans," he added. A successful breach of Singapore's power system, for example, could wreak havoc with the electricity supply, with knock-on effects on essential services, such as healthcare and transport. "There are also economic implications. Our banks, airports and industries would not be able to operate. Our economy can be substantially affected," he said. Between 2021 and 2024, suspected APTs against Singapore increased more than fourfold. A cyber breach on a public healthcare cluster in 2018 accessed the medication records of about 160,000 patients, including then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. On Saturday, China's embassy in Singapore expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with media reports linking UNC3886 to China. In a statement, the embassy said it "firmly opposes any unwarranted smearing of China" and that "in fact, China is one of the main victims of cyberattacks". The statement added: "China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law. China does not encourage, support, or condone hacking activities." The attack on Singapore's critical infrastructure "highlights the extraordinary challenges posed by APT actors," said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at US-based cybersecurity firm Tenable. "Combating such stealthy opponents is becoming increasingly demanding as the scale and complexity of IT infrastructure that organisations and nations must defend continues to grow," he said. - AFP
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Myanmar's military leader puts in a rare appearance at event honoring Aung San Suu Kyi's father
Myanmar's national flag flutters at half-mast outside the City Hall in Yangon on July 19, 2025, on the 78th Martyrs' Day that marks the anniversary of the assassination of independence leaders, including General Aung San, father of the currently deposed and imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi. - Photo by AFP BANGKOK (AP): The head of Myanmar's military government made a rare appearance at a ceremony on Saturday honoring General Aung San, an independence hero and father of jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It was the first time that 69-year-old Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing attended the Martyrs' Day wreath-laying since the army ousted Suu Kyi and seized power in February 2021. The leader's appearance comes as his embattled government is preparing to hold elections while fighting armed opposition groups across the country. Martyrs' Day was an important event in Myanmar's calendar for decades, but the military has downplayed the holiday in recent years. It commemorates the assassination of Aung San, a former Prime Minister who was gunned down at the age of 32 along with six Cabinet colleagues and two other officials in 1947, just months before the country - then called Burma - achieved freedom from British colonial rule. A political rival, former Prime Minister U Saw, was tried and hanged for plotting the attack. Suu Kyi, who was detained when the army took over in 2021, was absent from the event for a fifth consecutive year. She is currently serving a 27-year prison term on what are widely regarded as contrived charges meant to keep her from political activity. She has not been seen in public since her arrest. Ye Aung Than, a son of Suu Kyi's estranged older brother, laid a wreath in front of his grandfather's tomb during the main ceremony at the Martyrs' Mausoleum near the foot of the towering Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. With Myanmar national flags flying at half-staff, members of the ruling military council, and cabinet, as well as high-ranking military generals joined Min Aung Hlaing in placing a basket of flowers in front of the tombs of the nine martyrs. As the ceremony was held, people in Yangon paid tribute to independence leaders by blaring car horns and sirens at 10:37 a.m., the time of the 1947 attack. Democracy supporters also held scattered rallies in parts of the country that are not under military control. The event comes five months before elections that the military has promised to hold by the end of this year. The poll is widely seen as an attempt to legitimise the military's seizure of power through the ballot box and is expected to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control. The 2021 military takeover was met with widespread nonviolent protests, but after peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict. Since the army took power, 6,974 people including poets, activists, politicians and others have been killed, and 29,405 people have been arrested by the security forces, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent organization that keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the nation's political conflicts. The military government calls that figure an exaggeration. The military, which is now estimated to control less than half the country, has been accelerating its counter-offensives to retake areas controlled by opposition groups ahead of the election. - AP
