Syria’s top security officials were the target of an Israeli airstrike

A war observer reports that 15 individuals were killed and one building was completely demolished in a Damascus neighbourhood where most of Syria’s security apparatus is located during an Israeli missile assault early on Sunday. The target of an Israeli airstrike is Syria’s top security office.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 15 persons, including civilians, were killed in the attack, which occurred near an Iranian cultural centre.

Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syria since the conflict broke out in 2011. Its primary targets have been Syrian army, Iranian, and Hezbollah sites.

Yet, it is unusual for it to reach residential areas of the capital city. Kafr Sousa, where several government offices and intelligence hubs are located, was targeted on Sunday.

Syria’s defence ministry stated in a statement, “At 00:22 am (2222 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial assault from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights hitting multiple places in Damascus and its environs, including civilian districts.”

Preliminary reports indicated that five individuals were killed in the attack, including one military, and 15 civilians were wounded, with some in severe condition.

State-run television aired footage of the aftermath of the bombing, which severely damaged a 10-story building and crushed its bottom levels.

The leader of the British-based Observatory, which has a vast network of informants inside Syria, Rami Abdel Rahman, stated that the assault on Sunday was the worst Israeli attack on the Syrian capital.

More than a month has passed since an Israeli missile strike killed four individuals, including two military, at Damascus International Airport.

According to the Observatory, “positions for Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias within the airport and its surrounds, including a munitions depot,” were struck on January 2.

Israeli forces almost seldom speak publicly about their attacks in Syria, but they often say they won’t allow Iran to expand its influence into Israel’s borders.

Major General Oded Basiuk, who heads the Operations Directorate of the Israel Defense Forces, outlined the military’s “operational vision” for 2023 at the end of last year, declaring that the IDF “will not permit Hezbollah 2.0 in Syria.”

Damascus is still trying to pick up the pieces after an earthquake on February 6 killed more than 43,000 people in the north of the nation and in southern Turkey.