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Smoke rises after strikes on Syria's defense ministry in Damascus on July 16. (Khalil Ashawi/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
By Eyad Kourdi, Catherine Nicholls and Eugenia Yosef, CNN
(CNN) — Israel carried out a series of powerful strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus Wednesday, escalating a campaign it says is in support of an Arab minority group involved in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces.
One video from a Syrian television channel showed the Ministry of Defense building being hit live on air, forcing the anchor to take cover.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz shared the footage, saying “the painful blows have begun.”
In a press briefing held by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), a military official confirmed Israel had targeted the ministry and an area near the presidential palace.
At least one person was killed and 18 others were injured in the attacks, the Syrian health ministry told CNN.
Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Syria as part of its commitment to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the center of clashes with government loyalists.
Violence broke out over the weekend between Druze forces and Bedouin tribes in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, prompting an intervention by the Syrian government.
The United States views the situation as “worrisome,” according to the US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, and has reportedly urged Israel to halt its strikes
But Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Wednesday that the campaign was essential both to “prevent harm to the Druze community” and protect the southern border.
Katz said that the IDF “will continue operating with force in Suwayda to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze, until their complete withdrawal.”
“To our Druze brothers in Israel – you can count on the Israel Defense Forces to protect your brothers in Syria. (Israeli) Prime Minister Netanyahu and I, as defense minister, have made a commitment – and we will honor it,” he said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it struck the entrance of the defense ministry building.
Two civilians were injured as a result of the earlier strike, the state-run Syrian News Channel reported.
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