DAMASCUS — A powerful series of airstrikes has rocked the Syrian capital Damascus, with Syrian state media blaming Israel.

One video from a Syrian television channel shows 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.”

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.

The extent of the damage from the latest strikes, including if there have been any casualties, is unclear.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it struck the entrance of the headquarters of Syria’s defense ministry.

Two civilians were injured as a result of the strike, the state-run Syrian News Channel reported.

The news of that strike came shortly after Katz said that his country would soon intensify its attacks on government forces if they do not withdraw from the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, where clashes broke out over the weekend between Druze forces and Bedouin tribes, prompting an intervention by the Syrian government. — CNN