Smoke is seen near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, on July 16, 2025. Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital Damascus on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses. The strikes were reportedly aiming against Syria's interim authorities for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida province in southern Syria. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)
DAMASCUS, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital Damascus in an intensified attack on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses.
The strikes were reportedly aiming against Syria's interim authorities for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida province in southern Syria.
Israel carried out at least five airstrikes on Wednesday afternoon, mostly targeting the Syrian Army General Command, destroying parts of the building, according to local media reports and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Footage on local TV stations showed smoke rising from the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the Umayyad Square in the city center of Damascus.
Also, the area of the Syrian al-Shaab presidential palace was hit by another strike, sending plumes of white smoke rising over the mountain on which the palace is located.
No casualty report has emerged yet amid the absence of official comments.
In a previous strike on the military headquarters early Wednesday, state TV Al-Ikhbariya channel confirmed that two civilians were injured in what it described as an "Israeli aggression."
The Israeli military campaign is part of a broader effort to support the Druze community in Sweida, where deadly clashes have escalated among local Druze militias, Bedouin tribes, and the interim government's forces. ■
Smoke is seen near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, on July 16, 2025. Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital Damascus on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses.
The strikes were reportedly aiming against Syria's interim authorities for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida province in southern Syria. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)
Smoke is seen near the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in Damascus, Syria, on July 16, 2025. Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital Damascus in an intensified attack on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses.
The strikes were reportedly aiming against Syria's interim authorities for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida province in southern Syria. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
Smoke is seen near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, on July 16, 2025. Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital Damascus in an intensified attack on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses.
The strikes were reportedly aiming against Syria's interim authorities for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida province in southern Syria. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
Smoke is seen near the Syrian presidential palace and the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in Damascus, Syria, on July 16, 2025. Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital Damascus in an intensified attack on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses.
The strikes were reportedly aiming against Syria's interim authorities for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida province in southern Syria. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
