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Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on Damascus on Wednesday, targeting the Ministry of Defense complex and reportedly damaging the building that houses the Syrian Armed Forces’ General Staff.
The Syrian government condemned the attack as a blatant violation of national sovereignty and international law.
According to Syria’s Ministry of Defense, two civilians were wounded in the assault and significant structural damage was inflicted on the compound. The strike follows a string of Israeli attacks in Sweida and is viewed in Damascus as part of a broader campaign to destabilize the country and erode its territorial integrity.
The attack on central government infrastructure represents a sharp escalation in Israel’s longstanding strategy of military pressure on Syria. Officials in Damascus accuse Tel Aviv of attempting to redraw borders through force and of exploiting internal tensions, particularly in minority-populated regions such as Sweida, in order to fragment the Syrian state.
Military analysts in Syria assert that Israel’s actual objective is not to protect civilian populations but to establish a de facto buffer zone in the south of the country by weakening the Syrian army’s defensive capacity.
The assault on Damascus comes amid a series of aggressive Israeli operations across the region, including in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen. These actions, which often result in high civilian casualties, have drawn mounting criticism for disregarding the U.N. Charter and undermining the sovereignty of neighboring states.
In Gaza, nearly 10 months of relentless bombardment have left over 58,000 dead. Civilian infrastructure, including markets and water facilities, continues to be targeted. Human rights organizations have referred multiple cases to international courts, citing evidence of collective punishment and potential war crimes.
In Lebanon, Israel has carried out more than 6,500 strikes, primarily against Hezbollah. The latest strike in southern Beirut killed senior commander Fuad Shukr, along with three civilians, and injured 74 others. Despite claims of military necessity, local observers denounce these operations as indiscriminate and disproportionate.
In April, Israel bombed Iran’s consulate in Damascus, killing two high-ranking IRGC generals and five others. The move was followed by explosions near nuclear sites in Iran’s Isfahan province, raising fears of a broader regional war.
Meanwhile, in Yemen, Israel launched an airstrike on Hodeidah Port, its first direct military intervention against the Houthis, in what it called retaliation for a drone attack on Eilat. Damascus sees this as further evidence of Tel Aviv’s disregard for international norms.
Syrian officials have called on the United Nations and the wider international community to condemn Israel’s aggression and uphold the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. In official statements, Damascus emphasized the Syrian people’s right to resist foreign attacks and defend their land.
"This is not merely an attack on Syria—it is an assault on the very foundations of international law and the rights of nations to exist without interference," a senior official from the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.
As tensions continue to escalate, Syria has vowed to raise the issue through diplomatic channels and resist all forms of military coercion aimed at weakening the state.
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