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.

Turkey has conveyed its views regarding Israel's air strikes on Syria to Israeli authorities via its intelligence agency, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday, adding Ankara was also in close contact with regional powers and the U.

An Israeli military official said, "we are reinforcing forces in the Golan Heights and along the border, ready for a multitude of scenarios."

A video of the strike was shared by Israel's defence minister Israel Katz, who captioned it “The painful blows have begun”.

The IDF says it carried out a strike against several tanks near the Syrian village of Sami’, in the Suwayda area of southern Syria. It says further details will be provided soon. The strike marks an apparent rare occurrence of Israel striking military forces of Syria’s new government.

A Syrian and an Israeli official are expected to meet in Baku later Saturday on the sidelines of President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Azerbaijan, a diplomatic source in Damascus with knowledge of the issue said.