Syria’s foreign ministry has strongly condemned a suspected Israeli air strike that targeted an apartment building in Damascus, resulting in the deaths of seven civilians. The strike occurred on Tuesday evening in the Mezzeh neighborhood, which is home to the Iranian embassy and various diplomatic missions. While the Israeli military has not commented on the incident, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a higher death toll of 13, including nine civilians and two members of Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group allied with Iran and Syria.
According to the Syrian military, the attack involved three missiles fired by Israeli aircraft from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights. Photographs from the scene revealed extensive damage to apartments on the first three floors of the building. Local resident Adel Habib, an electrician, recounted the chaos, stating, “I was on my way home when the explosion happened, and communications and electricity were cut off, so I could no longer contact my family. These were the longest five minutes of my life until I heard the voices of my wife, children, and grandchildren.”
The Syrian Observatory identified the victims as a Yemeni doctor, his wife, and their three children, along with a woman and her child, a female doctor, and a male resident. Iran’s embassy confirmed that no Iranian citizens were among the casualties.
In a related development, a Syrian police officer was reportedly killed in another Israeli strike near the southwestern city of Quneitra. The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the Quneitra strike, stating it targeted a man named Adham Jahout, identified as a terrorist linked to Hezbollah’s operations.
Israel has acknowledged carrying out numerous strikes in Syria, aimed at targets associated with Iran and allied armed groups like Hezbollah. Following the onset of the Gaza war in October, these strikes have reportedly increased in frequency, responding to cross-border attacks on northern Israel.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, there have been 104 Israeli air and artillery strikes in Syria this year, resulting in at least 296 deaths and the destruction of approximately 190 targets, including weapon depots and militia headquarters.