Two fighters killed in Israeli strikes near Damascus: NGO

Still from a video purportedly showing an explosion over Damascus, Syria, on August 7, 2023. (Screenshot/Twitter/File Photo)
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Updated 22 August 2023
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Two fighters killed in Israeli strikes near Damascus: NGO

  • Israel has for years carried out attacks on what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria

BEIRUT: Two fighters backing the Syrian government were killed late Monday in Israeli airstrikes on sites near Damascus, an NGO said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “two pro-regime fighters were killed in Israeli strikes against military positions southwest and southeast of the capital.”
“Israeli missiles destroyed arms depots of pro-Iran militias and the Lebanese Hezbollah a few kilometers from the Damas international airport and around the Kiswah area,” it said.
Syria’s official news agency SANA had said earlier that the country’s air defenses had intercepted “hostile targets” in the Damascus area, without further details.
“The Israeli enemy carried out an attack with missiles sent from the occupied Golan Heights... wounding a soldier and causing material damages,” SANA said.
During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.
Israel rarely comments on strikes it carries out in Syria, but has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to expand its presence in the country.
 

 


Gaza mourns victims as bodies arrive at Al-Shifa hospital

Updated 9 sec ago
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Gaza mourns victims as bodies arrive at Al-Shifa hospital

GAZA: Palestinians gathered at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital on Tuesday to mourn loved ones killed in recent Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Four bodies were brought to the hospital from the Tuffah neighborhood following reported Israeli attacks.

Medical sources said the victims were killed in separate incidents in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military said it was not aware of any operations in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

More than 480 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the October ceasefire, amid repeated accusations of violations.
Under a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, Israeli forces have withdrawn to positions behind a so-called "Yellow Line" in Gaza, though they remain in control of more than half of the territory.
"Following the identification, the (Israeli air force) struck and eliminated the terrorists in order to remove the threat," the military said.
Media restrictions in Gaza and limited access to many areas mean AFP cannot independently verify casualty figures and details provided by either side.
The ceasefire has largely halted fighting between Israel and Hamas, but both sides have accused each other of violating its terms.

With agencies