Israel strikes Iran-linked targets in Damascus for second day in a row

Israeli airstrikes targeted the Mazzeh suburb of Damascus on Friday, intensifying an air campaign against Iran-linked targets in Syria.

Explosions which Syrian state news agency SANA said were Israeli airstrikes hit the Mazzeh area for the second day in a row and appeared to target personnel from Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as well as leaders from Palestinian groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

While the specific targets of Friday’s strikes remain unclear, they follow a pattern of escalating action against Iran and its allies.

On Thursday, similar strikes in Mazzeh and nearby Qudsaya claimed fifteen lives, targeting military sites and Islamic Jihad’s headquarters.

The airstrikes occurred shortly before Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was scheduled to meet with Palestinian representatives at the Iranian Embassy in Mazzeh.

The escalation in Syria reflects a broader regional dynamic. On Tuesday, the United States conducted successive airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia facilities in eastern Syria in retaliation for attacks on US personnel.

These strikes, combined with the Pentagon’s deployment of additional air and naval assets to the region, indicate increasing US involvement in countering Iranian allies.

Simultaneously, Israeli forces expanded their operations beyond Damascus, targeting strategic infrastructure along the Syrian-Lebanese border. A bridge near Qusayr in Homs was destroyed to disrupt weapons transfers to Hezbollah, further intensifying pressure on Iranian-aligned groups.

While Israel has long carried out airstrikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria, the frequency and intensity of these operations have grown significantly since the October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last year, which triggered the Gaza war.