Israel carried out deadly air strikes on the Syrian capital on Wednesday, including on the country’s defence ministry headquarters and near the presidential palace, in a significant escalation of its bombing campaign in the neighbouring country.

The strikes on the defence ministry compound, next to a busy public square in central Damascus, killed at least three people and injured 34, Syrian officials said. Strikes continued in other areas throughout the evening.

The Israeli military also carried out strikes in southern Syria, where violence between Druze militants, Bedouin tribes and Syrian security forces raged for a fourth day. Local officials on Tuesday said more than 50 people had been killed in the clashes, with no new numbers released on Wednesday.