Israel has been attacking targets inside Syria with growing frequency, as their assorted regional wars continue to escalate. On Sunday, Israel again attacked Sayeda Zeinab, the Shi’ite suburb south of the capital of Damascus.
While Monday Israel attacked farms on the outskirts of Sayeda Zeinab, today’s attack hit a pair of apartment buildings in the residential area itself. Hospital sources reported nine civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in the strikes.
Details are still emerging on the strikes, and Israel has not commented on them. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the apartment buildings were occupied by Hezbollah members and the attacks targeted specific members. That cannot be confirmed, however.
Sayeda Zeinab is a hugely important site for Shi’ite Muslims. It is said to be the resting place of Muhammad’s granddaughter, and is a very popular site for Shi’ites to visit on pilgrimage. Attacks on that area will doubtless be seen as a provocation by many.
Beyond two strikes on Sayeda Zeinab already this month, Israel has carried out four other strikes, two against the border city of Qusayr and Friday’s airstrikes against Aleppo and Idlib Province. The Qusayr strikes were said to have targeted Hezbollah weapons smuggling operations, while the Aleppo strike targeted a scientific center and they hit Syrian troops in Idlib. The latter attacks don’t necessarily seem to be related to Israel’s ongoing war with Hezbollah.
Media reports earlier today indicate that Hezbollah figure Salim Ayyash has been killed in one of the Qusayr airstrikes. Most of the slain and wounded in the Israeli strikes have not been identified.
Though Israel has been attacking Syria off and on for decades, the number of airstrikes has been escalated dramatically recently, especially since the invasion of neighboring Lebanon. It has gotten to the point where strikes happen nearly daily.
