Several people were killed in suspected Israeli airstrikes near Aleppo, according to Syrian state media.
This marks the second reported attack in Syria within a week. The strikes, which occurred around 12:20 a.m. local time (2320 CET), targeted the southeastern edge of Aleppo.
Israel has conducted numerous strikes on Syria since the onset of the Syrian civil war, with the frequency of these attacks increasing since the start of Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
SANA, Syria’s state news agency, did not provide a specific death toll from the latest incident.
“The aggression led to a number of martyrs and some material losses,” the state-run agency said.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that missiles struck the positions of a pro-Iranian militia in the Hayan area, north of Aleppo.
The NGO stated that at least 16 pro-regime fighters were killed in the overnight strikes, an increase from the initially reported 12 deaths.
According to the observatory, the deaths resulted from “an Israeli airstrike on a position in the town of Hayyan, north of Aleppo, triggering strong explosions in a factory.”
Israel did not immediately comment on the strikes, which is consistent with its usual practice of not commenting on individual operations in Syria.
However, Israel has consistently asserted that it will not permit Iran to expand its presence in Syria.
These overnight strikes are the second reported attack on Syria in less than a week. On May 29, Israeli airstrikes in central Syria and the coastal city of Baniyas killed a child and injured 10 civilians, as reported by Syrian state media.
Syria and Israel have been in a state of war since Israel’s establishment in 1948. Since the beginning of Syria’s civil war, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on its northern neighbor, mainly targeting military positions and Iran-backed fighters, including those from the militant group Hezbollah. Iran remains one of Syria’s key allies.
The frequency of these strikes has increased following the outbreak of Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza, which escalated after the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas on Israel.
