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.

A reporter and camera operator in Damascus ran for cover on Wednesday after Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian Defense Ministry in the heart of nation's capital as the pair were beginning a live transmission.

The Israeli military launched Wednesday a rare airstrike in the heart of Damascus, hitting the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters as clashes in the southern Syrian city of Sweida continued to flare.