Israeli strike kills regime officer in Syria
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An officer in the Syrian army was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike in the country's south, state media reported.
“At approximately 7:00 am today, the Israeli enemy launched an aggression with drones, targeting two military sites of our armed forces in the countryside of Quneitra and Daraa,” Syria’s state-owned SANA news agency said, citing a military source.
“The aggression led to the martyrdom of an officer and some material damage,” it added.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria throughout its nearly 13-year civil war, often claiming to target pro-Iran militias such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that supports the Syrian army.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the officer was “close” to Hezbollah.
The strikes have increased since October 7, when Palestinian Hamas militants launched an unprecedented, large-scale attack on Israeli territory that prompted significant retaliation.
While it rarely comments on strikes attributed to it in Syria, Israel has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate its arch-rival Iran gaining a foothold there.
Earlier in June, Israeli airstrikes near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo killed at least 12 pro-Iran militiamen.
A few days prior, another Israeli airstrike on the coastal city of Baniyas killed a two-year-old girl and caused material damage.
“At approximately 7:00 am today, the Israeli enemy launched an aggression with drones, targeting two military sites of our armed forces in the countryside of Quneitra and Daraa,” Syria’s state-owned SANA news agency said, citing a military source.
“The aggression led to the martyrdom of an officer and some material damage,” it added.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria throughout its nearly 13-year civil war, often claiming to target pro-Iran militias such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that supports the Syrian army.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the officer was “close” to Hezbollah.
The strikes have increased since October 7, when Palestinian Hamas militants launched an unprecedented, large-scale attack on Israeli territory that prompted significant retaliation.
While it rarely comments on strikes attributed to it in Syria, Israel has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate its arch-rival Iran gaining a foothold there.
Earlier in June, Israeli airstrikes near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo killed at least 12 pro-Iran militiamen.
A few days prior, another Israeli airstrike on the coastal city of Baniyas killed a two-year-old girl and caused material damage.