Israel Attacks Syrian City of Hama, Killing Five

At least one civilian was killed

Syrian state media reported an Israeli attack Friday night on the city of Hama. The missiles fired hit the city’s outskirts, killing at least five people, including a civilian.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called the targets “weapons depots.” This was not confirmed by state media, which did report material damage was caused.

In keeping with their policy, Israel declined all comment on the matter. In recent months Israel seems to be attacking Syria at least once a week. Satellite images suggested the attack targeted an underground facility, with signs it may have been destroyed outright.

Strikes on weapons depots or other military storage tend to be spun as attacks on “pro-Iranian” targets The Syrian government threatens to retaliate sometimes over such strikes, but rarely does so.

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.