Israel strikes Syrian military headquarters in Damascus, wounding 2

DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM -- Israel on Wednesday bombed the Syrian military headquarters compound in the capital Damascus, wounding two people, according to Israeli and Syrian sources.

"A short while ago, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) struck the entrance of the Syrian regime's military headquarters in the area of Damascus," an Israeli army spokesperson said, adding that the military also carried out additional strikes in the area and "remains prepared for various scenarios."

The spokesperson said the attacks were conducted "in accordance with directives from the political echelon," and that the IDF "continues to monitor developments and the regime's actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria."

Syria's state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV channel reported that two civilians were injured in what it described as an "Israeli aggression" in the heart of the capital.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the attack prompted heightened security measures and gunfire near the impact zone. Drone activity was also reported over the southern skies of Syria before the airstrikes.

The strike followed the collapse of a ceasefire announced by the Syrian interim government with Druze armed groups in Sweida, which led to renewed deadly clashes.

Earlier Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Syrian military in Sweida that Israel would escalate its strikes if Syrian troops did not withdraw.

"The army will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area," Katz said, adding, "The Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and pull back its forces."

In a later statement, Israel said it was sending more troops to the border with Syria "in accordance with the situational assessment."

Meanwhile, intense clashes broke out again in Sweida earlier in the day.

In a statement, the Syrian defense authorities said "outlawed groups" resumed attacks on government forces inside Sweida, violating a ceasefire agreement reached on Tuesday with local elders. In response, army units launched retaliatory strikes.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israeli strikes continued to pound the Syrian forces' positions on Wednesday, as part of Israel's declared protection of the Druze community in Sweida.

The total death toll from the clashes in the region since Sunday has now risen to at least 260, including 82 civilians from Sweida, according to the Britain-based war monitor.

On Tuesday, Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting convoys of Syrian forces in and around the southern city of Sweida, killing and wounding several personnel and further escalating days of deadly clashes involving Druze armed factions, Bedouin tribes, and Syrian interim government forces.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday night that Israel has "a commitment to preserve the southwestern region of Syria as a demilitarized area on Israel's border ... and an obligation to safeguard the Druze locals."