Middle East
46 dead in suspected Israeli air strikes in Syria
Air strikes in Syria: At least 42 people have been killed. photo
© picture alliance / dpa
Air strikes in Syria kill soldiers and members of the Lebanese Hezbollah. Is Israel’s army responsible for this?
The suspected Israeli attacks took place in the morning and focused on targets around the provincial capital Aleppo. More than 100 people were injured in the airstrikes, many of whom were in critical condition, it said.
Israel repeatedly attacks targets in Syria
Israel’s air force repeatedly bombs targets in neighboring Syria in an attempt to prevent Iran and its allied militias such as Hezbollah from expanding their military influence in the country. Israeli attacks have increased since the Gaza war began in early October. However, such high numbers of victims are rare.
When asked, the Israeli army said it did not want to comment on the reports. Hezbollah released the names of three members killed in a statement, without providing further details. However, Hezbollah circles said that they were killed in the attacks.
The Syrian state news agency Sana reported, citing a military source, that civilians as well as military personnel were killed and wounded in the attacks. Neither Sana nor Syrian television gave an exact number of victims. They blamed Israel for the bombings.
Possibly the deadliest attacks in years
Information from the civil war country cannot be independently verified. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is considered to be particularly well networked. According to the activists, the attacks in Aleppo targeted, among other things, a rocket depot of the Shiite organization Hezbollah near the airport and factories of the Syrian arms industry not far from the provincial capital. The head of the Observatory, Rami Abdel-Rahman, spoke of the deadliest Israeli air strikes in three years.
Eyewitnesses from the province reported heavy smoke in the bombed areas and dozens of ambulances rushing to the sites. Syrian government troops sealed off the areas.
Civil war in Syria continues
In Syria, in March 2011, numerous people took to the streets against the government as a result of the Arab uprisings. The security forces used violence against the demonstrators. This led to a civil war with international involvement that continues to this day. Both the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran’s government, along with Russia, are considered the most important supporters of the Syrian government under ruler Bashar al-Assad. Around two thirds of the country is now under government control again.
The Israeli army said it had killed a high-ranking member of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. The army said Ali Abed Achsan Naim was the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s missile division. Lebanon borders both Israel and Syria. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Israeli army and Hezbollah have been fighting in the border area. Hezbollah claimed at least three rocket attacks on Israeli targets.