An Israeli strike on a residential building in Damascus killed fifteen people, announced Sunday, February 19 in Beirut, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH). According to this non-governmental organization with an extensive network of sources in Syria, there are civilians among the victims. The deadly strike targeted the Kafr Sousa district, a high-security area in the Syrian capital that houses the headquarters of security and intelligence services, and where senior officials of these services live.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense reported a provisional death toll of five, “including a soldier”and fifteen wounded “for some in critical condition”. “At 12:22 a.m., the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial assault from the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several areas of Damascus and its surroundings, including residential areas”detailed the ministry.
It is “the deadliest Israeli attack on the Syrian capital” to date, underlined Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the OSDH. According to the official Syrian agency Sana, several buildings were damaged.
No comment from Israel
Since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in its neighbor, primarily targeting positions of the Syrian army, Iranian forces and Lebanese Hezbollah, allies of the Syrian regime.
The Jewish state rarely comments on its strikes against Syria but regularly asserts that it will not let Iran extend its influence to Israel’s borders.
In the summer of 2022, an Israeli strike south of Tartous, on the west coast of Syria, injured two civilians, according to the Syrian Ministry of Defense.