Israeli Missiles Hit Several Sites in Damascus, Killing Five

At least six missiles were reported to have hit targets in the southern part of Syria’s capital city of Damascus, according to state media. The strikes targeted Shi’ite militia facilities, killing five and wounding at least 11.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that the strikes targeted “pro-Iranian” sites, as is generally the case when Israel attacks Syria. Unlike most cases, Syria did not appear to claim substantial interceptions.

Though Israeli officials rarely comment on specific strikes, they have presented attacks on Iranian targets in Syria as trying to chase Iran out of the country. In attacking Iran, Israel avoids this being specifically about them attacking Syria.

In recent weeks, reports are that Israel’s attacks on Iran are being done specifically to try to start a war before the November US election. The expectation is that Iran will eventually retaliate and that this will be a pretext to further escalate the situation into open warfare.