Israeli Airstrikes in Syria Leave Dozens Dead
DAMASCUS — The Syrian city of Aleppo was rocked by a series of Israeli airstrikes that resulted in casualties among civilians and military personnel on Friday, as reported by the Syrian state news agency SANA.
Thirty-eight people, including five members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, were killed in the attacks, according to Reuters. One of the Hezbollah fighters killed was a local field commander, whose brother had also been killed in a previous Israeli strike in southern Lebanon in November, Reuters revealed.
Israeli warplanes launched the attack around 1:45 a.m. local time from the direction of Athriya, southeast of Aleppo, as confirmed by a military source quoted by SANA.
The Israel Defense Forces chose not to comment on the incident.
Israel has a history of targeting areas in Aleppo and the Syrian capital Damascus, citing concerns that Iran might use Syria as a launching pad for attacks against Israel.
Both Syria and Israel view each other as enemies and have no diplomatic relations.
These recent strikes mark some of the deadliest since Israel escalated its military operations against Iran-backed groups in Syria following an attack on Israel by the Iran-backed group Hamas on October 7.
Since the Hamas assault, confrontations between Iran-backed groups and Israel have escalated, with armed groups also engaging in clashes with US troops supporting Israel in the Middle East.
In Syria, Hezbollah has a significant presence, dating back to the Arab Spring protests in 2011 that led to proxy wars in parts of the Middle East. Hezbollah actively supported Iran-aligned forces in Syria and fought on behalf of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad against the opposition.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Islamist movement with a formidable paramilitary force in the Middle East, has been involved in intense cross-border clashes with Israel since October 7. This involvement has raised concerns that the conflict in Gaza could escalate into a broader regional war. — CNN
