Syria says seven civilians killed in Israeli strike near Damascus
Sayeda Zainab, a stronghold of Hezbollah and the site of a major Shi’ite shrine, has been the target of previous strikes.
An Israeli strike on a residential building in the Sayeda Zainab district south of the Syrian capital Damascus killed seven civilians on Sunday, the Syrian defense ministry said, in the second such attack in less than a week.
The fatalities included women and children, with 20 people also injured, the ministry said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which said last week that its air force had struck Hezbollah intelligence assets in the same area.
Sayeda Zainab, a stronghold of Hezbollah and the site of a major Shi’ite shrine, has been the target of previous strikes.
The heavily garrisoned area near the shrine is also a well-known stronghold of Hezbollah, which is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s chief allies.
Israel has ramped up strikes in Syria since the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023 and particularly since the escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Syrian and Western intelligence sources say Israeli attacks in Syria have killed scores of Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia terrorists based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city.
IAF in the Gaza Strip
In action in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Air Force conducted a targeted strike on Saturday and killed terrorist Muhammad Abu Sakheil, the operations chief of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, while he was operating in a command center based in a former school building in northern Gaza, the IDF and Shin Bet announced Sunday evening.
Abu Sakheil planned and executed terrorist attacks, assessed situational reports, and coordinated terrorist activities with Hamas against Israel.
The strike was conducted with intelligence guidance from Military Intelligence, Shin Bet, and the Southern Command, according to the statement.
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