Israeli Strike Hits High-Security District In Syrian Capital

Several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district in Syria's capital Damascus on Wednesday, Syrian state media reported, after a recent string of similar strikes.

The neighborhood hosts residential buildings, schools and Iranian cultural centers, and lies near a large, heavily-guarded complex used by security agencies. The district was targeted in an Israeli attack in February 2023 that killed Iranian military experts.

The Syrian Observatory, a war monitoring group based in Britain, reported that a building near an Iranian school in Damascus was targeted. The area is frequented by senior officials of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Observatory, said that the target of the attack was to eliminate Hezbollah and IRGC personnel. So far, three individuals have been reportedly killed.

There have been several strikes since January targeting high-value Iranian targets in Syria and particularly in Damascus. Targets near a military airport west of the Syrian capital Damascus were attacked on February 9 by unidentified missiles on drones. An Iranian military adviser was killed in another attack in Damascus on February 2.

Syrian state news agency SANA said an "Israeli attack" had targeted a residential building but made no mention of casualties. It published an image of the charred side of a multi-story building.

Witnesses heard several back-to-back explosions. The blasts scared children at a nearby school and ambulances rushed to the area, the witnesses told Reuters.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Since 2017, Israel is believed to have launched hundreds of air strikes against Iran-affiliated targets in Syria.

Iran has been a major backer of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's nearly 12-year conflict. Its support for Damascus and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has drawn regular Israeli air strikes meant to curb Tehran's extraterritorial military power.