Israeli airstrike kills civilians in Syria – media

A missile attack on Damascus reportedly left at least seven dead and 11 wounded, including women and children

At least seven civilians were killed and 11 more wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a residential district of Damascus on Tuesday evening, according to Syrian media reports.

Three missiles launched by Israeli planes flying over the Golan Heights struck the neighborhood of Mezzeh, causing “significant material damage,” the state news agency SANA reported, citing a military source.

Among the people killed were women and children, Syrian state TV has reported.

The building struck was a short distance away from the Iranian embassy in Damascus. According to the Saudi outlet Al-Hadath, as quoted by the Israeli media, the missiles had targeted a Hezbollah official in charge of Unit 4400, which allegedly supplies the Lebanese Shia militia with weapons from Iran.

Israel has not officially commented on the airstrike. Israel Defense Forces jets have struck Syria repeatedly over the past several years, in what Damascus and others have denounced as flagrant violations of Syrian sovereignty. On the rare occasions when West Jerusalem acknowledged the attacks, it claimed the right of pre-emptive self-defense against Iran, alleging the latter was arming Hezbollah and other “proxies” that posed a threat to the Jewish state.

Tuesday’s airstrike comes as Israeli ground forces continue their operation in Lebanon, escalating a campaign against Hezbollah that began last month with air and missile strikes.

Last Tuesday, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, in what Tehran said was a response to the killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, warning that any further “aggression” would be met with reprisal. Israel has threatened a “serious and significant” strike in response, but has not yet launched one.