Israeli air strikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital, Damascus, in an intensified attack on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses.

The strikes were reportedly aimed at Syria's interim authorities in retaliation for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida Province in southern Syria.

Israel carried out at least five air strikes on Wednesday afternoon, mostly targeting the Syrian Army General Command, destroying parts of the building, according to local media reports and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The strikes signal a significant escalation amid growing clashes.

Footage on local TV stations showed smoke rising from the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in Umayyad Square in the city center of Damascus.

The area near the Syrian al-Shaab presidential palace was also hit by another strike, sending plumes of white smoke rising over the mountain on which the palace is located.

No reports of casualties have emerged yet amid the absence of official comments.

In a previous strike on the military headquarters early Wednesday, state TV Al-Ikhbariya channel confirmed that two civilians were injured in what it described as an "Israeli aggression."

The Israeli military campaign is part of a broader effort to support the Druze community in Sweida, where deadly clashes have escalated among local Druze militias, Bedouin tribes, and the interim government's forces.

Syrian government troops were dispatched to Sweida on Monday to quell fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin armed men, but they ended up clashing with the Druze fighters themselves.

Earlier, security sources within Syria's defense ministry told Reuters that at least two drone strikes had hit the defense ministry building and that officers took cover in the basement. State-owned Elekhbariya TV said the strike wounded two civilians.

News outlet Sweida24 said Sweida and nearby villages were coming under heavy artillery and mortar fire early on Wednesday.

A Syrian government statement on Wednesday said those responsible for lawlessness in Sweida would be held accountable. It said the government was committed to protecting the rights of the people in Sweida.

Israel on Wednesday said it was sending more troops to the border with Syria after vowing to step up attacks if Syrian interim government forces were not withdrawn from the south of the country.

"In accordance with the situational assessment, the (Israeli military) has decided to reinforce its forces in the area of the Syrian border," a statement read.

(With input from agencies)