Airstrike in Southern Damascus Attributed to Israel Kills 3, Targets Pro-Iranian Militias

By Yoni Weiss

At least three people were killed in an airstrike attributed to Israel in the Sayyida Zaynab area, south of Damascus, according to the U.K.-based Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian media reported two deaths and one injured soldier in the attack on Wednesday. The Syrian opposition website Voice of the Capital stated that the targeted facility housed pro-Iranian militias, including Hezbollah officials, and was used as a weapons depot and rendezvous location.

“Israel conducted an airstrike on several points in the southern region,” the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “Air defenses intercepted Israeli missiles and shot down some of them. The attack resulted in the deaths of two individuals, injuries to a soldier, and material damage.”

Last week, Syria reported that Israel struck military sites around Qunitra and Daraa in the south of the country, resulting in the death of an officer and damage to the site. Saudi Arabia’s Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group had begun instructing its operatives to avoid using mobile phones within Syrian territory due to recent Israeli attacks.

Diplomatic sources and officials in the region told Reuters that Israel has increased its covert attacks in Syria against weapon depots, supply routes, pro-Iran militias, and Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders in anticipation of a possible war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. On June 2, three sources reported that 18 people, including an IRGC adviser, were killed in an attack on a secret arms depot near Aleppo in Syria.