Israel Carries Out Strikes Near Damascus

Smoke rising over the capital, Damascus, after an Israeli raid in 2022 (File- Reuters)
Smoke rising over the capital, Damascus, after an Israeli raid in 2022 (File- Reuters)
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Israel Carries Out Strikes Near Damascus

Smoke rising over the capital, Damascus, after an Israeli raid in 2022 (File- Reuters)
Smoke rising over the capital, Damascus, after an Israeli raid in 2022 (File- Reuters)

Israel carried out air strikes near Syria's capital Damascus late Sunday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

"At around 23:05 (2105 GMT) the Israeli enemy carried out an air assault... targeting various points on the outskirts of Damascus," a security source told the agency, AFP reported.

"Our anti-aircraft defences shot down some missiles while others caused limited material damage."

An AFP correspondent reported strong explosions in the suburbs of Damascus, which have been previously targeted by strikes that Syrian authorities have blamed on Israel.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the strikes had targeted "Hezbollah sites" in the Sayeda Zeinab district and near Damascus airport.

The Israeli army declined to comment on the incident, but said separately that shots had been fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel on Sunday evening.

"The army retaliated by targeting the source of the fire. Earlier in the day, we had struck a Hezbollah terrorist cell," it said in a statement.

Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi visited his forces near the northern border with Lebanon on Sunday, where he spoke of the need "to kill Hezbollah operatives, to demonstrate our superiority".

"It can also come in the form of a strike and war," he said.



Israel and Hezbollah Claim Battlefield Wins

Men carry Hezbollah flags and a picture depicting late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as they drive past damaged buildings at the entrance of Beirut's southern suburbs, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, Lebanon November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Men carry Hezbollah flags and a picture depicting late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as they drive past damaged buildings at the entrance of Beirut's southern suburbs, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, Lebanon November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
TT

Israel and Hezbollah Claim Battlefield Wins

Men carry Hezbollah flags and a picture depicting late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as they drive past damaged buildings at the entrance of Beirut's southern suburbs, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, Lebanon November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Men carry Hezbollah flags and a picture depicting late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as they drive past damaged buildings at the entrance of Beirut's southern suburbs, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, Lebanon November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Israel's army and Hezbollah's militant leaders are both claiming success on the battlefield after the sides entered into a ceasefire Wednesday.
Israel said it degraded Hezbollah's capabilities and decapitated its senior leadership, while the Lebanese militant group said it put up a stiff defense to Israel's ground invasion “in support of the steadfast Palestinian people.”
Iran-backed Hezbollah claimed “victory” over Israeli forces and said its fighters were “fully prepared” to counter any future Israeli actions.
"Their hands will remain on the trigger, in defense of Lebanon’s sovereignty,” the statement from Hezbollah's operations center said Wednesday, its first public comments since the ceasefire took effect.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the army had weakened Hezbollah's ability to launch rockets and drones into Israel, and targeted its ability to resupply and manufacture weapons.
“We are also preparing for the possibility of returning to intense combat,” Hagari said in a video statement Wednesday. He said that throughout the nearly 14 months of fighting, Israel struck 12,500 targets across Lebanon, including around 360 targets in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiyeh.
It was not possible to independently confirm battlefield claims by either side. The ceasefire agreement gives Israel and Hezbollah militants 60 days to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon near the border.