In one of the deadliest Israeli attacks on Syria in over a year, Israeli warplanes attacked the ancient city of Palmyra today. Syrian state media has reported so far that 36 were killed and at least 50 were wounded in the strike.
The airstrikes hit residential buildings as well as the industrial area of the city. It is not at all clear what the intended target was, and Israel has not commented on the matter. At least nine Syrian soldiers were reported wounded in the strikes.
Multiple ambulances were reported rushing to and from the scene, taking survivors to the Tadmur Hospital in the city. Doubtless the large number of casualties will be a struggle for the hospital to handle, especially as the number continues to rise.
Palmyra is primarily known for its ancient Mesopotamian temple complex, originally centering on the Temple of Bel. The temple itself was demolished by ISIS in 2015. After Syria’s army reclaimed the city in 2017, long-term plans were made to eventually restore the site. It is not clear if the site was further damaged in today’s strikes.
With ISIS no longer in the city, Palmyra hasn’t seemed a likely target for Israeli strikes. Though Israel has been attacking Syria nearly daily this month, most strikes have been further west, centering around Damascus and the Homs Province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed the strikes targeted an area occupied by families of Iraqi fighters. Israel isn’t strictly at war with any Iraqi groups, but such factions are Shi’ites, and Israel has been targeting Shi’ites in multiple countries across the region.
Who wrote this: "With ISIS no longer in the city, Palmyra hasn’t seemed a likely target for Israeli strikes"? Actually Israel never ever attacked ISIS, all the opposite: it healed their members at the occupied Golan Heights and arguably the very first "Caliph" of ISIS was a Mossad agent.
ISIS = Israel.
And John McCain was cozy with the terrorists that wrecked Syria and killed thousands using US/CIA money, weapons and training. The same bunch are STILL running US foreign policy.
Those ISIS terrorists were trained, funded, and protected by the Likud as well as Washington. It’s been rumored that many were sheep dipped IDF.
Given the similar atrocities we observe committed by the IDF in the last year; those rumors appear to be true.
Did any ISIS ever attack a Israelu target ? Hmmmm
The same John McCain who worked so hard to consolidate the Maidan nazi coup in Ukraine along with John Kerry and Victoria Nuland? Would I be more naive and younger I could be surprised, yet, now that you mention, I remember his infamous photo with the would-be “Caliph”.
Also everybody could trace those Toyotas to the USA and Turkey (that was before the 2016 crisis between Obama and Erdogan).
How much further is Israel prepared to go?… Will the US reign them in, yes or no?!