Israeli airstrikes targeting areas around the Syrian capital, Damascus, late on Thursday night resulted in the deaths of four members of the Lebanese Hezbollah and left others injured, some with serious wounds, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The observatory noted that Israeli aircraft targeted weapons depots and military sites belonging to Hezbollah in the Qara region of the Damascus countryside, which borders southwestern Homs, an area where the Lebanese group is active and also uses for smuggling fuel from Lebanon to Syria.
Russian news agency Sputnik reported yesterday, citing regime forces, that missiles launched by Israeli warplanes from Lebanese territory targeted sites in the rural areas of Damascus and Homs provinces in central Syria. It is noteworthy that since the beginning of this year, Israel has carried out more than 17 attacks, either through missile strikes or aerial assaults, damaging and destroying over 41 targets, including buildings, weapons depots, command centers, and vehicles.
Though Israel rarely confirms its strikes in Syria, the army mentioned in its annual report that it targeted about 50 sites in Syria during the year 2020, without providing further details. Israel consistently reiterates that it will continue to counter what it describes as Iran's attempts to establish a military presence in Syria.
