Media reports confirm civilian deaths following an Israeli airstrike in Syria, intensifying concerns over the growing conflict in the Middle East.
According to Syrian media reports, an Israeli airstrike on a residential area in Damascus on Tuesday evening resulted in the deaths of at least seven civilians and injured 11 others.
According to a military source cited by the state news agency SANA, Israeli aircraft launched three missiles while flying over the Golan Heights. These missiles hit Mezzeh neighborhood, resulting in “significant material damage.”
Syrian state TV has reported that women and children were among the people killed.
The structure that was hit stood a short distance from the Iranian embassy in Damascus. As reported by the Saudi channel Al-Hadath and quoted by Israeli media, the missiles were aimed at a Hezbollah leader overseeing Unit 4400, which is reportedly responsible for providing weapons to the Lebanese Shia militia from Iran.
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Israel has not made an official statement regarding the airstrike. Over recent years, Israel Defense Forces jets have conducted multiple strikes on Syria. These actions have been criticized by Damascus and others as blatant breaches of Syrian sovereignty. On the rare occasions when West Jerusalem has admitted to these attacks, it cited a right to pre-emptive self-defense against Iran, accusing them of supplying weapons to Hezbollah and other “proxies” that threaten Israel’s security.
Tuesday’s airstrike occurs while Israeli ground forces persist in their operation in Lebanon, intensifying a campaign against Hezbollah that commenced last month with aerial and missile attacks.
On Tuesday of last week, Iran fired a series of missiles at Israel, claiming it was in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Tehran warned that any additional “aggression” would lead to further counterattacks. In response, Israel has issued warnings about launching a “serious and significant” strike but has not yet carried one out.
