Israel threatened on Monday the assassination of Maher Al-Assad, the brother of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, by targeting the headquarters of the 4th Division in the Syrian Army. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israeli drones, equipped with high-explosive missiles, targeted a villa used by the 4th Division near Yafour in the Damascus countryside. There were no immediate reports of human casualties.
The villa, frequented by leaders from Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, is under the command of Maher Al-Assad. He is considered a significant Syrian leader with close ties to Iran and Hezbollah. According to the Observatory, Maher Al-Assad received warning messages about the consequences of transferring weapons from the 4th Division’s stock to Lebanon, indicating he would become a target in Israeli strikes. Sources confirmed that Maher Al-Assad was not present at the villa during the strike and was outside Damascus at the time.
Recent significant actions by Israel include the assassination of Hezbollah’s long-standing leader Hassan Nasrallah, which has caused a major shake-up within Hezbollah and its allied forces in the region. This assassination is part of a broader strategy by Israel to target the senior leadership of groups it considers threats, and it has led to a severe blow to Hezbollah’s operational capabilities
