In a First, Israel Strikes Syrian, Hezbollah Positions in Idlib

An explosion following the Israeli strikes on Syria. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
An explosion following the Israeli strikes on Syria. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
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In a First, Israel Strikes Syrian, Hezbollah Positions in Idlib

An explosion following the Israeli strikes on Syria. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
An explosion following the Israeli strikes on Syria. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)

Israeli jets carried out on Saturday strikes against joint positions held by Syrian forces and Hezbollah in the Saraqeb region in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.

This is the first time that Israel targets regions held by the regime and opposition factions.

Israel also struck a scientific research center in the vicinity of the city of Al-Safira near Aleppo.

The Syrian Defense Ministry confirmed the strikes that took place overnight on Friday.

It said the attacks left several military personnel wounded and caused material damage.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli jets flew over the international coalition base in the al-Tanf region on the Syrian-Jordanian-Iraqi border after flying over Syria’s Sweida and Daraa regions.

Syrian government radars detected the jets without intercepting them, added the rights monitor.

Local media sources said the strikes on Saraqeb targeted positions held by Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Seven people were killed and 15 injured in the attack.

The attack took place hours after a meeting between Turkish and Russian officials at a position held by Russian forces in the village of al-Tronba near Saraqeb.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by armed group Hamas on Israeli territory.



Berri Says War with Israel ‘Most Dangerous Phase’ in Lebanon’s History

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
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Berri Says War with Israel ‘Most Dangerous Phase’ in Lebanon’s History

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

The speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, said on Wednesday the war with Israel had been the "most dangerous phase" his country had endured in its history, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the US and France, a rare victory for diplomacy in a region traumatized by two devastating wars for over a year.
Lebanon's army, which is tasked with helping make sure the ceasefire holds, said in a statement on Wednesday it was preparing to deploy to the south of the country.
The military also asked that residents of border villages delay returning home until the Israeli military, which has waged war against Hezbollah on several occasions and pushed around six km (4 miles) into Lebanese territory, withdraws.
The agreement, which promises to end a conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year, is a major achievement for the US in the waning days of President Joe Biden's administration.
Biden spoke at the White House on Tuesday shortly after Israel's security cabinet approved the agreement in a 10-1 vote. He said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and that fighting would end at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT).
Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over 60 days as Lebanon's army takes control of territory near its border with Israel to ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its infrastructure there, Biden said.