Israeli strikes have political motive, as well as militarypublished at 15:39 British Summer Time

Samantha Granville
Reporting from Beirut

While Israel’s strikes in Syria may appear to be a show of strength, they reflect more than simple muscle-flexing.

Syria’s post-Assad government is still in its infancy – its army and security forces are weak, fragmented, and struggling to assert control.

In the immediate aftermath of former dictator Bashar al-Assad’s fall in December, Israel launched a sweeping wave of air strikes, targeting more than 400 military sites in just 48 hours.

The intent was clear: to prevent any rapid militarisation that could threaten Israeli security, particularly near its northern border.

Although the new Syrian leadership has signalled it has no appetite for regional war – and quiet, US-backed negotiations with Israel may be under way. Israel sees a red line in the presence of what it regards as Islamist-aligned forces near Druze communities and the Israeli buffer zone.

The strikes are as much a deterrent as they are a warning.

But the campaign is not without consequence. It’s stirring anger on the Syrian street and even dividing opinion among Druze, some of whom reject any association with Israel.

Ultimately, these strikes are as political as they are military, aimed at shaping the emerging post-Assad order before it hardens.

Three Syrian commanders leaders have been killed in Israeli strikes on southern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitor.

The UK-based campaign group – which monitors and releases reports on casualties in Syria – says the strikes specifically targeted military convoys as defence ministry officials gathered.

It says the strikes came down in the countryside around the villages of Walgha and al-Majimar, near the city of Suweida where clashes between armed Druze and Bedouin groups have taken place in recent days.

The SOHR previously reported that seven military officials were killed in previous Israeli strikes in Suweida, including on a tank and military vehicle – bringing the total count to at least 10.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says “we’re very concerned” about the Israeli strikes on Syria.

He tells reporters that the US wants the fighting to end and confirms they are “talking to both sides”, adding that hopefully they can stop it.

Rubio adds there will “hopefully” be updates later.

Large plumes of smoke have been seen rising from central Damascus, after what appears to be hits on the Syrian defence ministry building in Umayyad Square.

It follows powerful Israeli airstrikes that shook the capital earlier. Watch below:

Israel’s strikes on Damascus on Wednesday come after armed clashes between Sunni Bedouin fighters and Druze militias in southern Syria began at the weekend.

The violence erupted in the predominantly Druze city of Suweida on Sunday, two days after a Druze merchant was reportedlyabducted while travelling by road to Damascus.

On Tuesday, after two days of the deadly clashes, Israel said it had bombed Syrian government forces around Suweida.

Syrian forces have been accused of also attacking the Druze. The government has not responded to then specific allegations, but has condemned the attacks on Druze people and said its troops are there to restore order.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hadordered strikes on forces and weapons in the area because the government”intended to use [them] against the Druze”. Syria has condemned Israel’s involvement.

At least 200 people have been killed since the clashes started on Sunday, the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

Israeli strikes have killed one civilian and injured 18 more people in Damascus, according to an update from the Syrian health ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it targeted the area around Syria’s presidential palace in strikes earlier.

In a post on social media, the IDF says “a military target was struck in the area of the Syrian regime’s Presidential Palace in the Damascus area”.

It also confirmed Syria’s defence ministry headquarters was hit in the attacks on the capital.

The Druze faith is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs.

They have historically occupied a precarious position in Syria’s political order. Half its roughly one million followers live in Syria, where they make up about 3% of the population, while there are smaller communities in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.

Earlier this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned he would not “tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria” from the country’s new security forces.

He also demanded the complete demilitarisation of much of the south, saying Israel saw Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as a threat.

• The BBC’s Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab spoke to members of the Druze community this month, who shared that recent attacks on their communities by Islamist militias loosely affiliated with the government in Damascus have fuelled growing distrust towards the state.

Nine people have been injured as a result of Israeli strikes in Damascus, according to a preliminary assessment just released by the Syrian heath ministry.

The Syrian government has not yet responded to this round of Israeli strikes, but a few hours ago it condemned what it calls Israel’s “criminal and illegal behaviour” in the south of the country.

In a statement, the Syrian presidency called the ongoing fighting between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes unacceptable under any circumstances and contradictory to their principles.

Israel has recently begun intervening in the conflict, saying it is doing so to protect the minority Druze community from attacks.

The statement added that they will affirm their “full commitment” to investigating all the related incidents and will not allow those responsible to go unpunished.

The government said that it places the highest priority on “protecting security and stability” throughout Syria, and that justice is the standard by which they operate.

It concluded by reassuring the people of Suweida – a predominantly Druze city – that their rights will always be protected and that they will not allow anyone to influence their security or stability.

We can see smoke rising above Damascus, following a new round of Israeli strikes on Syria’s capital.

It appears the principal target was Syria’s defence ministry headquarters, as confirmed by an Israeli statement and local media reports.

We can now bring you an update from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who say its forces have struck the entrance of the Syrian government’s military headquarters in the capital Damascus

In a post shared on X, the IDF says it “continues to monitor developments and the regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria”.

It goes on to say that on orders from Israeli politicians, the IDF is “striking in the area and remains prepared for various scenarios”.

Shortly after Israeli strikes on Damascus began, Israel’s defence minister shared a statement of intent on social media.

“The warnings in Damascus have ended – now painful blows will come,” Israel Katz writes.

Katz says the Israeli military will “continue to operate forcefully” in Suweida, the area of southern Syria where Israel has recently intervened in clashes between the minority Druze community and other armed groups.

He then speaks directly to the Druze community in Israel, saying the Israel Defense Forces will protect the Syrian Druze population.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu and I, as Minister of Defence, have made a commitment – and we will uphold it,” he adds.

Katz also shared a video of a live TV news broadcast, showing a building in Damascus being hit by a strike and the on-air newsreader ducking for cover.

Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Syria, including on the capital Damascus, as it says it is intervening in support of the minority Druze community – who are engaged in an ongoing conflict with other Syrian armed groups.

Defence Minister Israel Katz has shared video of a live news broadcast which shows a direct hit on a Damascus building.

We will be bringing you the latest updates from Syria here, stay with us.