Escalating Tensions: Israeli Strikes on Syria

An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in Sayeda Zainab, south of Damascus, killing seven civilians, including women and children. This attack, the second in a week, injured 20 others. The strike focused on a Hezbollah stronghold, in an ongoing conflict intensified by recent regional events.

In a tragic development, an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the Sayeda Zainab district south of the Syrian capital, Damascus, claimed the lives of seven civilians, including women and children, on Sunday, according to Syria's defense ministry. A further 20 people sustained injuries in the assault.

This marks the second such attack in less than a week, with Israeli forces having previously targeted intelligence assets of the Iranian-supported Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the same vicinity. Sayeda Zainab houses a major Shi'ite shrine and is regarded as a Hezbollah stronghold, aligning it closely with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's administration.

Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel in 2023, Israel has intensified its military operations in Syria, aiming at diminishing Hezbollah and pro-Iranian forces' capabilities in areas surrounding Damascus. The increasing hostilities illustrate the heightened volatility in the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)