Israeli forces have carried out an airstrike near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, Reuters reports, citing an eyewitness.

Massive airstrikes also damaged the Ministry of Defense in Damascus.

According to AFP, Israel also bombed the Syrian army headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the government to leave the Druze minority alone in its central part, Es-Suweida, where, according to military observers, about 250 people were killed in religious clashes.

Syrian government troops entered the southern city of As-Suwayda on Tuesday, where the majority of the population is Druze, with the stated aim of enforcing a ceasefire agreed with Druze community leaders after clashes with local Bedouin tribes left dozens dead. However, eyewitnesses reported that government troops joined forces with Bedouins in an attack on Druze militants and civilians, staging a bloody massacre in the city.