Israeli Drone Strike Kills Two Hezbollah Members in Syria

Vehicles were attacked en route to a military airport

For the third time in just a over a week, Israel carried out a drone strike inside Syria today. The strike targeted a truck and car believed to belong to Hezbollah traveling near the city of Qusayr, in Homs Province.

The vehicles were said to be en route to al-Dabaa military airport, and both were set on fire as a result of the attack. Two Hezbollah members were reported killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Several other unidentified people were also reported to have been wounded.

Qusayr is seen as a hotbed of Hezbollah activity in Syria. It lies about 22 miles south of Homs and overlooks the border into Lebanon, which is 9 miles to the southwest.

On May 20, Israel carried out strikes against Qusayr, killing at least six people who were described as pro-Iranian fighters. The Syrian Observatory reported eight were killed, including five from Lebanon.

Today’s attack marked the 41st Israeli attack on Syrian territory so far in 2024. Such strikes typically go after either Hezbollah or Iranian targets, although at times they’ve attacked what are plainly Syrian military targets.

Strikes against Hezbollah more commonly take place in Lebanon, either targeting sites in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border or in the east in the Bekaa Valley, near the Syrian border crossing.

 

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.