Israeli Attack on Syria’s Palmyra Kills 36 People, Syrian State Media Says

Syrian civil defense officers stand at a damaged site after what the Syrian state news agency said was an Israeli strike in the Damascus suburb of Mazzeh, Syria November 14, 2024. (Reuters)
Syrian civil defense officers stand at a damaged site after what the Syrian state news agency said was an Israeli strike in the Damascus suburb of Mazzeh, Syria November 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Attack on Syria’s Palmyra Kills 36 People, Syrian State Media Says

Syrian civil defense officers stand at a damaged site after what the Syrian state news agency said was an Israeli strike in the Damascus suburb of Mazzeh, Syria November 14, 2024. (Reuters)
Syrian civil defense officers stand at a damaged site after what the Syrian state news agency said was an Israeli strike in the Damascus suburb of Mazzeh, Syria November 14, 2024. (Reuters)

An Israeli attack on Syria's historic city of Palmyra killed 36 people and wounded more than 50 on Wednesday after it hit residential buildings and an industrial zone, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

The Israeli military declined to comment when asked about the attack.

"At approximately 1:30 p.m. today, the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of the al-Tanf area, targeting a number of buildings in the city of Palmyra in the Syrian desert, which led to the martyrdom of 36 people (and) the injury of more than 50 others," SANA said, quoting a military official.

It added that the attack also caused significant damage to the targeted buildings and surrounding area.

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 Palestinian group Hamas on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.

The Israeli military said last week it had attacked transit routes on the Syrian-Lebanese border that were used to transfer weapons to Hezbollah.

Syrian state media reported several Israeli attacks last week in the vicinity of Homs province, which borders Lebanon. Palmyra is located in Homs.

Palmyra's ancient city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was seized by ISIS militants in 2015 and partially destroyed before it was recaptured by the Syrian army.



WHO Chief Says He Was at Yemen Airport as Israeli Bombs Fell Nearby

FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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WHO Chief Says He Was at Yemen Airport as Israeli Bombs Fell Nearby

FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

A wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's main airport Thursday just as the World Health Organization’s director-general said he was about to board a flight there. One of the UN plane’s crew was wounded, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by Yemen's Houthis at the international airport in the capital Sanaa, as well as power stations and ports, alleging they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials, The AP reported.

UN associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said the rest of the U.N. team left the airport and are “safe and sound” in Sanaa, and the injured crew member is being treated in a hospital, she said.

Last week, Israeli jets bombed Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Israel's latest wave of strikes in Yemen follows several days of Houthi launches setting off air-raid sirens in Israel. The Houthis have also been targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.