Syrian Officer Killed in Alleged Israeli Airstrike in Southern Syria

By Yoni Weiss

A Syrian military officer was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in southern Syria on Wednesday morning, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

SANA, citing a military source, reported that Israeli drones targeted two Syrian military sites in Quneitra and Daraa, causing “material losses” in addition to the fatality.

The IDF, which has conducted numerous strikes in Syria since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, has not commented on the recent attack. These strikes typically aim to thwart the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, or to prevent Iranian forces from establishing a presence near Israel’s border.

Alleged Israeli airstrikes have intensified following the start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7

Hezbollah has engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire with the IDF since the Hamas terror attack. The group has targeted Israeli communities and military posts along the border, claiming to support Gaza amid the ongoing war against Hamas.

On Wednesday morning, the IDF reported that an explosive-laden drone launched from Lebanon struck the Metula area in northern Israel without causing injuries. Another suspected drone was shot down by air defenses over the northern town of Sdeh Eliezer.

Overnight Tuesday, a drone strike targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot in Yaroun, southern Lebanon, where the IDF identified a cell of operatives. Concurrently, another strike hit Hezbollah infrastructure in Baraachit.

Following these strikes, Hezbollah announced the deaths of three members.