Israel strikes Syrian military HQ and Presidential Palace in Damascus (video)
Photo: Israel strikes Damascus (x.com/MonitorX99800)
Israeli forces attacked Damascus on Wednesday, July 16. The strikes targeted the Syrian General Staff building and the Presidential Palace, The Times of Israel and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on social media platform X report.
The Times of Israel wrote that during the "strikes" on the General Staff building, loud explosions were heard across the capital.
For his part, Katz posted a video from Syrian state television showing a visibly frightened host reacting to the Israeli strike on central Damascus.
"Heavy strikes have begun," the Minister added.
החלו המכות הכואבות pic.twitter.com/1kJFFXoiua
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 16, 2025
OSINT experts report that due to the attack, the Syrian General Staff building was completely destroyed. The same happened to the Ministry of Defense building.
Following the strikes on the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense, media began circulating rumors that Israel had also shelled the Presidential Palace. There is no information yet about the consequences of that attack.
Israel–Syria conflict
On July 15, 2025, Israel launched strikes against Syrian government forces in Suwayda province amid bloody intercommunal clashes in the region.
The trigger for the attack was a massacre in the city of the same name, where more than 30 people were killed in a conflict between Bedouin tribes and local Druze (a small religious and ethnic community living mainly in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan).
Israeli authorities accused the Syrian regime of violent actions against the Druze minority and stated that the military strikes were aimed at protecting people with whom Israel has historically close ties.
Syria had also previously demanded that Israel withdraw its troops from the southern part of the country.
