DAMASCUS An armed gunman rides a motorbike through Damascus' Ummayad Square near Syria's military headquarters after Israel said it hit the nearby military spot on July 16, 2025. Israel escalated tensions in the region Wednesday with a strike near Syria’s Defense Ministry in Damascus and threats of further military action, while clashes intensified in southern Syria following the collapse of a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups. Syrian state television reported that two