DAMASCUS: Syria on Tuesday accused Israel of committing “state terrorism” after reported Israeli air strikes killed 15 people including civilians.
“Israeli authorities are increasingly practicing state terrorism,” the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official SANA news agency.
“The latest heinous Israeli aggression falls within the framework of ongoing Israeli attempts to prolong the crisis in Syria,” it added.
Israeli air strikes near Damascus and in Homs province late Sunday killed nine mostly foreign pro-regime fighters and six civilians, including three children, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
It was not immediately clear if the civilians died in the strikes or in their aftermath, it added.
An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment.
Syria’s foreign ministry filed a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the attack, demanding accountability, according to SANA.
It said Israel’s “dangerous and hostile” actions would not have been possible without the support of its ally the United States, which protects it in the Security Council.
The strikes hit several Iranian positions near Damascus, and also targeted a research center and a military airport west of the city of Homs where the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and Iranians are deployed, the Observatory said.
One of the pro-regime fighters killed was Syrian, while the rest were of other nationalities, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, targeting forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and the regime’s allies Iran and Hezbollah.
The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and drawn in world powers since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
Syria says Israel strikes ‘state terrorism’
Syria says Israel strikes ‘state terrorism’
- “Israeli authorities are increasingly practicing state terrorism,” the foreign ministry said
- Israeli air strikes near Damascus and in Homs province late Sunday killed nine mostly foreign pro-regime fighters and six civilians
Gaza death toll surges to 71,548 as Israeli aggression continues
- The administration of President Donald Trump earlier in the week said the US-drafted ceasefire plan for Gaza was now moving into its challenging second phase, which includes the new Palestinian committee in Gaza
GAZA: The death toll from Israeli attacks has risen to 71,548 Palestinians, with 171,353 reported wounded, since the beginning of the offensive on Oct. 7, 2023, according to medical sources.
One new fatality was reported at a Gaza hospital in the past 24 hours, along with six new injuries, sources said.
Several victims remain trapped under rubble or lying in the streets, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them due to the widespread destruction and lack of supplies.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 11, the number of fatalities has increased to 464 along with 1,275 injuries, while 712 bodies have been recovered from beneath the rubble.
Earlier on Saturday, a 27-day-old baby died because of severe cold, bringing the number of child deaths caused by extreme winter conditions since the start of the season to eight.
The administration of President Donald Trump earlier in the week said the US-drafted ceasefire plan for Gaza was now moving into its challenging second phase, which includes the new Palestinian committee in Gaza, deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction of the war-battered territory.
But Israel’s government is objecting to the White House announcement of leaders who will play a role in overseeing the next steps in Gaza.
Israel says the Gaza executive committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy,” without details.
Saturday’s statement also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Foreign Ministry to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The White House-announced committee announced on Friday includes no Israeli official but does include an Israeli businessman.
Other members announced so far include two of US President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, a former British prime minister, an American general, and a collection of top officials from Middle Eastern governments.
The White House has said the executive committee will carry out the vision of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,” whose members have not yet been named.
The White House also announced the members of a new Palestinian committee to run Gaza’s day-to-day affairs, with oversight from the executive committee.
The committee’s members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump’s deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
