Syria’s defense ministry reported that eight soldiers were injured in Israeli air strikes near Damascus on Friday. The strikes were launched from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan on Thursday night, targeting a site near Damascus.
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes, but has consistently stated it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights identified the target as a government building in the Damascus countryside used by Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group since 2014.
The Israeli military has conducted numerous strikes in Syria since the civil war began in 2011, primarily targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters. The frequency of strikes increased after Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza started on October 7.
On April 19, Israeli strikes targeted a Syrian army position in the country’s south, reportedly hitting Iran according to US media. This follows a retaliatory attack by Iran on April 13, where hundreds of drones and missiles were launched against Israel in response to a deadly strike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus.
Syria’s war, which began in March 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests, has resulted in over half a million deaths and displaced millions of people.
