DUBAI: A widely circulated video showed a Syrian news presenter visibly startled and leaving her live segment to take cover as Israeli strikes hit Damascus on Wednesday.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, shared the video on X with the caption: “The heavy blows have started.”
In the video, the presenter jolted on air at the sound of the explosion, as a missile struck the building behind her.
החלו המכות הכואבות pic.twitter.com/1kJFFXoiua
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 16, 2025
In a major escalation, the Israeli army bombed the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus and carried out additional strikes on Syrian forces in the southern city of Sweida amid intensified clashes between government troops and Druze armed groups.
Israel has attacked Damascus following on threats to ramp up attacks if the Syrian government forces did not withdraw from Sweida, vowing to protect the Druze religious minority.
Before the live segment was interrupted, the presenter was reporting on Katz’s statement that the Israeli army would continue “to operate vigorously in Sweida to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until they withdraw completely.”
Clashes raged in Sweida on Wednesday after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed. Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces in southern Syria since the clashes erupted and has beefed up forces on the border.
The army said it struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus.
