Israel Kills One Iranian, Six Iraqis in Attack on Syria

Syria initially denied any casualties in attack

Wednesday’s Israeli attack on the Syrian city of Aleppo killed at least seven people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in a report issued after Syrian state media claimed there were no casualties at all.

One Iranian was killed, along with six Iraqi members of Shi’ite militias. This allowed media outlets, in keeping with the Israeli narrative to brand everyone slain as an “Iranian-backed fighter.”

The attack hit an industrial area of Aleppo, which led to speculation that it was hitting a “weapons depot,” though exact details of what was targeted, or hit, beyond Shi’ites, is no at all clear.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he intends to carry out strikes against Syria going forward, particularly on anything he can present as Iranian. Such strikes are likely to escalate in the lead up to the Israeli election, as it will allow Netanyahu to again present himself as the more hawkish candidate.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.