BEIRUT: Israeli strikes on Syria early Thursday targeted facilities belonging to Iraq’s Al-Nujaba armed movement, a war monitor and the pro-Iran group said, with Damascus saying an unidentified building was attacked.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war in its northern neighbor in 2011, mainly against army positions and Iran-backed fighters.
But the strikes increased after Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, when the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented assault on Israel.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “Israeli air strikes targeted a cultural center” and a “training facility” of the Iraqi Al-Nujaba movement in the Sayyida Zeinab area south of Damascus.
Three members of the group were wounded according to the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
A source within the Iraqi faction, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that a “cultural center” belonging to the group was destroyed in the “Israeli” attack, but reported no casualties.
Al-Nujaba does “not have a declared military base in Syria,” the source added.
Syria’s defense ministry said that “at around 3:20 am today, the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of the occupied Syria Golan Heights targeting a building in the Damascus countryside.”
The attack caused “some material damage,” said the statement carried by state media, adding that air defense systems shot down some of the missiles.
The Sayyida Zeinab area is home to an important Shiite Muslim shrine that is protected by pro-Iran groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, alongside the Syrian army, according to the Observatory.
The Al-Nujaba movement is part of a pro-Iran alliance in Iraq that Washington has blamed for numerous attacks on its forces.
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes on Syria, but has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence there.
An April 1 raid blamed on Israel levelled Tehran’s consulate in Damascus and killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.
That strike prompted Iran to launch a first-ever direct missile and drone attack against Israel on April 13-14 that sent regional tensions spiralling.
Monitor, Iraqi group say Israel hits facilities in Syria
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Monitor, Iraqi group say Israel hits facilities in Syria
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “Israeli air strikes targeted a cultural center” and a “training facility” of the Iraqi Al-Nujaba movement
- Three members of the Iraqi group were wounded
Jordan condemns continuing Israeli closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque as end of Ramadan approaches
- Foreign Ministry calls on international community to demand that Israeli authorities stop violating Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and respect their sanctity
LONDON: Jordan on Wednesday condemned Israel for the continuing closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque, as worshippers were prevented from entering for a 12th straight day.
The Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs denounced the decision to block access to the mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, which will end in just over a week.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Fuad Majali said Jordan strongly rejected what he described as illegal actions at the mosque and ongoing provocations against worshippers, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Israel does not hold sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem, including its Islamic and Christian holy sites, he added, and should immediately reopen the mosque and allow worshipers to freely access the site without obstruction.
He called on the international community to demand that Israeli authorities stop violating Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and respect their sanctity.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is administered by Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, which holds the legal authority to manage the compound and control access.
Israel has announced a state of emergency as a result of its conflict with Iran. In conjunction with the US it has been carrying out airstrikes on Iranian territory since Feb. 28. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed by an attack in the early stages of the conflict, along with other senior officials. In response, Iran has continued to strike Israel and several other countries in the region with missiles and armed drones.
