Israel Targets Iranian Militias in Damascus Countryside

 Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside the country. (AP News)
Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside the country. (AP News)
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Israel Targets Iranian Militias in Damascus Countryside

 Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside the country. (AP News)
Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside the country. (AP News)

Head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) revealed that Israel targeted this week military sites in the vicinity of Damascus countryside.

The strikes hit military targets for groups loyal to Iran and the Palestinian Liberation Army in Rakhla town, and near al-Madajen between the towns of Ambiya and Kafr Quq in the vicinity of Qatana in southwestern Damascus countryside, explained SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman, saying the strikes are the ninth this year.

Israel clearly knows everything about the Iranians in Syria, he stressed, reiterating previous statements that Israel has many spies deployed among the Syrian regime, the Lebanese Hezbollah group and the Iranian-backed militias in Syria.

“The spies provide it with information about their movements, warehouses and missiles,” he affirmed in statements on Friday, wondering when will the Syrian regime and Iran respond to these strikes.

Syrian state television also reported that Israeli airstrikes had hit several locations in the countryside west of the capital Damascus on Thursday.

Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a military source, said Syrian air defenses had shot down “some” of the fired missiles .

It said the strikes only caused material damage, without elaborating.

In recent years, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria, targeting Syrian army positions as well as Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah sites.

Israel rarely confirms any strikes on Syrian territory, but it has always reiterated that it will continue to face what it describes as Iran’s attempts to establish its military presence in Syria.

The conflict, which broke out in Syria in 2011, has claimed around 500,000 lives, ravaged infrastructure and displaced millions.



Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).