The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israel launched airstrikes targeting a “residential building” west of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday. Meanwhile, official media reported that Syrian air defenses confronted an “Israeli air attack.”
Over the past years, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, mainly targeting Iranian objectives and Hezbollah, including warehouses, weapon and ammunition shipments, and also Syrian army sites.
However, these strikes intensified after the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
The Syrian Observatory stated that the Israeli attack targeted a residential building west of Damascus. The Observatory, which is based in Britain and has a wide network of sources inside Syria, reported hearing “loud explosions,” including in the Dimas area in Damascus Governorate.
The Syrian “SANA” agency quoted a military source as saying that around 1:05 AM on Saturday, “the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several points in the countryside of Damascus.” The agency added, “Our air defenses confronted the enemy’s missiles, shooting down some of them, resulting in some material losses.”
The Observatory noted that the strikes came after a rocket attack on an area near a military airport west of Damascus on Friday, while the Syrian Defense Ministry said that drones entered Syrian airspace from the direction of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel. The Observatory had reported that the “Mezzeh Military Airport area was targeted,” without specifying the source of the attack, adding: “There are sites belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian militias there.”
The Israeli military said, “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.”
Since October 7, Israel has intensified its military operations in Syria, with reports indicating a shift towards more frequent and deadlier strikes against Iran-linked targets. According to sources, Israel’s new strategy includes targeting cargo trucks, infrastructure, and individuals involved in Iran’s weapons supply chain to its proxies in the region. This change in tactics comes in the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israeli territory, leading to a broader Israeli military response in Gaza and Lebanon as well.
Israeli military actions have reportedly abandoned previous “rules of the game,” which minimized casualties among Hezbollah members in Syria. The approach before October 7 involved warning shots that allowed personnel to evacuate before destroying the target. However, recent strikes have been direct, aiming to inflict damage and casualties among those involved in arms transfers from Iran to its proxies, notably Hezbollah. This has resulted in a significant increase in Hezbollah casualties in Syria, with 19 members killed in a three-month span, which is more than twice the total for the rest of 2023 combined.
Additionally, Israel’s military has been engaged in cross-border confrontations with Hezbollah and has launched numerous air raids on Syria since the war on Gaza began. The Israeli military confirmed attacks on Syrian military infrastructure and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, emphasizing their commitment to operate against any threats to Israel’s sovereignty. These developments have raised concerns about the potential for regional spillover of the conflict.
