Syria Says Seven Civilians Killed in Israeli Strike Near Damascus

Syrian emergency and security services inspect the wreckage of a car that exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus on October 21, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian emergency and security services inspect the wreckage of a car that exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus on October 21, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria Says Seven Civilians Killed in Israeli Strike Near Damascus

Syrian emergency and security services inspect the wreckage of a car that exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus on October 21, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian emergency and security services inspect the wreckage of a car that exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus on October 21, 2024. (AFP)

An Israeli strike on a residential building in the Sayeda Zainab district south of the Syrian capital Damascus killed seven civilians on Sunday, the Syrian defense ministry said, in the second such attack in less than a week.

The fatalities included women and children, with 20 people also injured, the ministry said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which said last week that its air force had struck intelligence assets of the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the same area.

Sayeda Zainab, a stronghold of Hezbollah, has been the target in previous strikes. The heavily garrisoned area near the location is also a well-known stronghold of Hezbollah, which is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's chief allies.

Israel has ramped up strikes in Syria since the Oct. 7 attack by armed group Hamas on Israel in 2023 and particularly since the escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Syrian and Western intelligence sources say Israeli attacks in Syria have killed scores of Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia fighters based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city.



Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Forces Killed 2 People, Including a 13-Year-Old, in the West Bank

 People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Forces Killed 2 People, Including a 13-Year-Old, in the West Bank

 People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)

The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Monday Israeli forces killed two people, including a 13-year-old, in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military said the two had thrown explosives at forces overnight near the Palestinian town of Yabad and that the forces had responded by opening fire.

The Health Ministry identified the two as Mohammed Hamarsheh, 13, and Ahmad Zayd, 20. It did not disclose details about the circumstances behind their deaths.

It was the latest bloodshed in the West Bank, which has faced a surge of violence throughout the 13-month war in Gaza. The Health Ministry says nearly 800 people have been killed, with more than 160 of them 18 and younger.

Many have been killed in fighting with the Israeli military, but Palestinians throwing rocks and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. There has also been an increase in Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began.