Early on Friday, Israeli air strikes near Damascus, Syria, resulted in the deaths of two pro-Iranian fighters.
These strikes, part of a recent increase in regional tensions, specifically targeted a Hezbollah arms depot and other locations around the Syrian capital. Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported substantial material damage from these raids, launched from the Golan Heights.
While Syrian air defenses intercepted some missiles, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the death of two foreign fighters from pro-Iran groups and several injuries.
The strikes notably hit an arms depot of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group, and other sites near Damascus airport linked to Hezbollah and pro-Iran militias.
This follows a pattern of Israeli strikes in Syria, including recent attacks that temporarily disabled Damascus and Aleppo’s main airports.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, there have been increased hostilities across Lebanon’s southern border involving Hezbollah and Palestinian factions.
Israel’s air campaign in Syria, targeting Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah, aligns with its stance against Iran’s influence in the region. The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has led to over half a million deaths and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population.
Related: Here’s What Happened During “Most Violent Day” Of Border Clashes
