Two dead in Israeli attacks on southern Syria

Two people were killed and a soldier injured in an Israeli attack on southern Syria on Wednesday evening, Syrian state media reported.

“At around 11:40 p.m., the Israeli enemy carried out an airstrike from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several positions in the southern region, killing two people and wounding one soldier,” the Sana news agency reported, citing a military source.

It said that Syrian air defenses had shot down some missiles, without giving further details.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attack hit the service center of a foundation linked to pro-Iranian groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The UK-based observer, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, said the attack took place near Sayyida Zeinab, home to an important Shiite shrine defended by pro-Iranian militias and the army.

It was said that three people were killed in the attack, including an elderly woman, and 11 others were injured.

According to Sana, a Syrian army officer was killed in the same region on June 19.

Israel has made little comment on the attacks reported by Syria, but has repeatedly stated that it will not allow its arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in the country.

Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, the country has carried out hundreds of such attacks, mainly against army positions and Iranian-backed fighters, including Hezbollah, who support government forces.

An attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 killed two high-ranking commanders and several other members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This prompted Tehran to launch a direct attack on Israel with missiles and drones a few days later. Most of these attacks were intercepted by Israel and its allies.

Iran has long been a key ally of the Syrian government, but has repeatedly stated that it does not send combat troops to Syria but only provides officers for military advice and training.

Updated: June 27, 2024, 06:14