On Thursday, Israel launched at least two airstrikes on western Damascus and a suburb of the capital, Qudsaya in Syria. The strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 15 people and left 16 people injured. The airstrikes hit two buildings in the Mazzeh which is neighbourhood of Damascus and the Qudsaya suburb. The Israeli attack damaged a five-story building in Mazzeh.
The Israeli military confirmed that the airstrikes targeted infrastructure sites and command centers of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Syria. They claimed to have inflicted damage to the organization's command center and operatives. Islamic Jihad has been a key player alongside Hamas in the ongoing conflict with Israel. The airstrikes in Damascus and Qudsaya coincided with a scheduled meeting in the Iranian Embassy in Mazzeh. The meeting was between Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Palestinian leaders.
The Role of Iran and Hezbollah in the Conflict
Iran has long been a significant ally to Syrian President Bashar Assad and supporting his regime since the onset of Syria's civil war in 2011. Israel has carried out many airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed groups and Hezbollah fighters in Syria and Lebanon. Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, has been actively involved in the conflict, firing into Israel in support of Hamas.
The Escalating Toll in Lebanon
An airstrike in Baalbek, a city in eastern Lebanon, killed at least nine people and injured five others. The Israeli military has targeted numerous sites across southern and eastern Lebanon, including the Dahiyeh area in Beirut. The death toll in Lebanon has now reached 3,365 with over 14,200 people wounded and nearly 1.2 million displaced.
Inputs by Agencies
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