Five Syrian Soldiers Killed in Israeli Strike on Damascus

An Israeli strike on Damascus (AFP File Photo)
An Israeli strike on Damascus (AFP File Photo)
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Five Syrian Soldiers Killed in Israeli Strike on Damascus

An Israeli strike on Damascus (AFP File Photo)
An Israeli strike on Damascus (AFP File Photo)

An Israeli airstrike near Damascus airport killed five Syrian soldiers on Saturday, Syrian state media said.

"The aggression led to the death of five soldiers and some material damage," Syria's official news agency Sana quoted a military source as saying.

The strike carried out at approximately 00:45 am (2145 GMT Friday) came "from the northeastern direction of Lake Tiberias, targeting Damascus airport and some points south of Damascus," it added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor confirmed that the strikes killed five Syrian soldiers, and said two Iran-backed fighters were also killed, AFP reported.

The monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria, said Israel targeted sites where Iran-backed groups are stationed near Damascus airport and in the Damascus countryside.

An Israeli strike in the countryside around the capital Damascus and south of coastal Tartus province killed three soldiers last month.

In June, Israeli airstrikes put Damascus airport out of service for nearly two weeks.

In the past month, Israeli airstrikes have twice targeted Aleppo airport.

The rights monitor said at the time that those strikes had targeted weapons depots belonging to Iran-backed militias.

Since civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against its northern neighbor, targeting government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters.

While Israel rarely comments on individual strikes, it has acknowledged carrying out hundreds. 

It says its air campaign is necessary to stop arch-foe Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep.



Al-Sudani: We Succeeded in Steering Iraq away from War, Fire Belt

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
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Al-Sudani: We Succeeded in Steering Iraq away from War, Fire Belt

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani firmly addressed on Sunday recent reports about a possible change in Iraq’s political system or an Israeli strike against armed factions in the country.
At a ceremony held in Baghdad to mark the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi comrade, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the PM affirmed Iraq’s full readiness to respond and deter any attack, regardless of its source.
During the ceremony, attended by Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Sudani said the government was able to spare Iraq from being part of the conflict zone that was intended to expand beyond the borders of Gaza and Lebanon.
On Saturday, the PM had dismissed calls for changing the political system in the country in wake of the radical changes in Syria with the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating the death of former head of the Supreme Iraqi Council Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim in 2003, Sudani stressed that Iraq had sought to distance itself from the developments in Syria.
“Some parties are using the situation in Syria to attempt to change the system of rule in Iraq. This issue is not up for debate,” he declared, while acknowledging that the region had witnessed in over a year major developments that have resulted in significant political changes.
At the ceremony on Sunday, parliament Speaker Dr. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani called on important countries in the region such as Türkiye, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Jordan, to take a stand regarding the Israeli military advances in Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Meanwhile, al-Sudani is scheduled to pay an official visit to Iran on Wednesday, his office said in a statement.
“The official visit will include discussions on bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen them, building on the progress made during the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Baghdad in September of last year, as well as addressing the latest regional developments,” the statement said.
The visit comes amid reports of a possible Israeli strike against Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq.
Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Wisdom Movement, revealed last week that a message was delivered to Baghdad confirming that certain Iraqi armed factions would be among Israel’s targets.