Israel said it "struck the entrance of the Syrian regime's military headquarters" and warns of more "painful blows".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Damascus headquarters served as a command center for deploying regime forces to Suwayda, a southern Syrian region gripped by days of deadly clashes between government troops, Druze militias, and Bedouin groups.

The Israeli military launched airstrikes in the heart of Damascus on Wednesday, hitting the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters.

Israel says it's trying to protect the Druze community in south-west Syria, where there have been deadly sectarian clashes.

An Israeli military official said, "we are reinforcing forces in the Golan Heights and along the border, ready for a multitude of scenarios."

An Israeli scheme to move hundreds of thousands of already uprooted Palestinians to a so-called "humanitarian city" in Gaza has led politicians to spar with the defence establishment, but officials say a practical plan has yet to be crafted.

That afternoon, Netanyahu and Katz ordered the Israeli military to once again attack government forces and weaponry in Suweida. They said they were working to prevent them from harming the Druze and to "ensure the demilitarisation" of areas near Israel's border.

The Israeli army has announced the establishment of a new corridor in Gaza — the third such axis Israel has carved across the war-torn strip as part of its strategy to tighten pressure on Hamas. In a new video it shows what this will mean. Newsweek has reached out to Hamas officials for comment.