Russia Confirms Israel’s Bombing of Iranian Stronghold in Syria

Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria, May 10, 2018. (Reuters)
Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria, May 10, 2018. (Reuters)
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Russia Confirms Israel’s Bombing of Iranian Stronghold in Syria

Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria, May 10, 2018. (Reuters)
Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria, May 10, 2018. (Reuters)

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Syrian air defense forces thwarted, at dawn on Sunday, a strike carried out by two Israeli fighters against the Sayeda Zainab area, south of Damascus, which is known as the stronghold of Iran and its militias in Syria.

General Vadim Kulit, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, told the Russian news agency TASS that two Israeli fighter jets were intercepted while attacking targets near Damascus early Sunday.

“From 05:40 am to 05:54 am, two F-16 tactical fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force, which stayed outside Syria’s airspace, delivered a strike, from the southwestern direction, with two guided missiles at facilities in the settlement of Sayeda Zainab in the Damascus governorate,” he said, adding that both missiles were downed by the Russian-made Buk-M2E systems of the Syria air defense units.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, for its part, that a violent explosion hit separate areas of the Syrian capital, adding that the people heard the sound of a strong explosion and a cloud of smoke was seen in the air.

This is the third attempt by the Israeli forces to launch an air strike on Syrian territory this week. On July 19, Israeli warplanes launched eight missiles at sites in the Aleppo governorate, and on July 22, four missiles hit facilities in Homs.

Meanwhile, concerns mounted among the residents of the Druze-dominated Suweida region in southern Syria due to a leaked government document that spoke of an imminent ISIS attack as military reinforcements were being brought in to neighboring Daraa.

Activists in the region leaked a document by the Damascus police chief and addressed to the Syrian Minister of Interior, speaking of ISIS plans to infiltrate deep into Suweida to carry out terrorist operations.



Israeli Strike Wounds a Hospital Chief in Besieged Northern Gaza, Health Officials Say

A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Israeli Strike Wounds a Hospital Chief in Besieged Northern Gaza, Health Officials Say

A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

An Israeli strike has wounded the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the northernmost part of Gaza, local and international health officials said.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya was in his office when it was hit by an Israeli quadcopter drone on Sunday, according to the humanitarian organization MedGlobal.

The doctor was wounded by shrapnel in his thigh and back, causing serious bleeding that requires surgical care, the aid group said. Abu Safiya is the lead physician in Gaza for MedGlobal, which has worked in Gaza since 2018.

Dr. Munir al-Boursh, director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, posted a video to social media on Monday showing Abu Safiya limping and leaning on a crutch while speaking to patients inside the hospital.

The Israeli military said it was unaware of a strike on the grounds of Kamal Adwan Hospital and said it does its utmost to avoid harming civilians.

During the past month, Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit several times, was put under siege and was raided by Israeli troops, who are waging a heavy offensive in the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp and towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. The Israeli military says it detained Hamas fighters hiding in the hospital, a claim its staff denies.

Abu Safiya said Israeli strikes on the hospital last week wounded nine medical staff and damaged the generator and oxygen systems. He said the hospital was treating 85 wounded, 14 children in the pediatric ward and four newborns in the neonatal unit.

Israel also denied knowledge of conducting any strikes on in the area of the hospital at that time.