Including Hezbollah members, dozens killed in Israeli airstrike on Syria

Shafaq News / On Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) cited by Agence France-Presse, stated that at least 36 Syrian soldiers were killed and dozens others injured as a result of an Israeli airstrike targeting multiple sites near Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria, including "missile depots belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah."

Reuters also quoted sources saying that "Israeli strikes on Aleppo in the early hours of Friday resulted in the killing of 33 civilians and soldiers," adding that "the strikes also led to the deaths of five Hezbollah fighters."

The Observatory confirmed that "this death toll among regime forces is the highest in an Israeli airstrike in Syria since Israel intensified its targeting of Syrian sites following the outbreak of war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023."

The Israeli airstrikes also targeted in al-Safeera, a city southeast of Aleppo, "defense facilities that were under the control of the Syrian Ministry of Defense before being taken over by Iranian groups."

Meanwhile, the official Syrian news agency SANA quoted a military source as saying that an Israeli airstrike targeted "several points in the countryside of Aleppo," resulting in casualties among "civilians and soldiers" whose number was not specified.

It is noteworthy that Israel has intensified its air strikes in Syria since the outbreak of civil conflict in 2011. Still, the pressure has heightened following Hamas's unprecedented attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7.

Tel Aviv is concerned about Syria creating a new military front, especially since Iran-backed forces are heavily deployed in the country.