Israel conducted airstrikes on Thursday, targeting the Syrian capital Damascus and a military facility near Homs, according to the Syrian defense ministry.
These strikes occurred as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region to advocate for a ceasefire.
The strikes hit the Kafr Sousa neighborhood in central Damascus and a military site in the Homs countryside, resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to seven others, the ministry reported.
It also mentioned “material damage” but provided no further details.
Earlier, Syrian state media had reported explosions in Damascus following an Israeli strike on a residential building in Kafr Sousa.
Israel usually refrains from commenting on specific strikes in Syria. However, it has been targeting Iranian-linked sites in Syria for years, intensifying these actions following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which ignited the Gaza war.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces also struck southern Beirut, and Hezbollah, backed by Iran, responded by firing precision missiles at Israeli targets for the first time.
These attacks in Beirut sent large flames into the night sky, soon after an Israeli military spokesperson warned residents to evacuate the area. Another strike hit the office of pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, which was unoccupied at the time.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported one person killed and five others injured, including a child, during these strikes.
Hezbollah announced late Wednesday that it had escalated its attacks, employing “precision missiles” and launching new drones against Israeli targets, though no specifics were provided.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed that four projectiles were launched from Lebanon, two intercepted and two landing without causing damage.
On Thursday, the Lebanese army reported that three of its soldiers, including an officer, were killed by an Israeli strike during the evacuation of wounded individuals near the village of Yater in southern Lebanon.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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