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.

Israel carried out heavy airstrikes in the heart of Damascus om Wednesday, hitting the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters and an area surrounding the presidential palace.

More than 200 people have been killed in four days of clashes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor — the deadliest bout of unrest to hit the region in yea...