BEIRUT: A war monitor said four people were killed in an Israeli air strike on Tuesday targeting a building in the Syrian capital used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for meetings with Hezbollah.

“Israel targeted a building frequented by senior Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah operatives, as well as a car parked in front of the building... killing four people,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Earlier, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported an Israeli strike on a residential building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood of Damascus, which is home to security headquarters and embassies. Preliminary reports indicated that the strike had resulted in injuries among civilians, Syrian state media reportedState media earlier reported that Syria’s air defences had intercepted “hostile” targets in the vicinity of Damascus.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since last year’s Oct 7 raid by Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territory that sparked the Gaza conflict.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024