Overview

• The Israel Defense Forces said it struck the entrance gate of Syria’s military headquarters in Damascus on July 16.
• Israeli jets also hit Syrian army tanks and machine-gun-mounted pickup trucks moving toward the Druze-majority city of Sweida after a truce collapsed.
• More than 250 people have died in Sweida province since fighting resumed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
• Parallel airstrikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley targeted Hezbollah facilities and killed 12 civilians, raising fears of wider conflict.
• Defence Minister Israel Katz warned forces must withdraw from southern Syria or face further escalation to protect the Druze community.