Israeli strikes in Syria kill 17 as Iranian adviser set to visit

Israeli airstrikes pummeled the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Thursday, killing at least 17 people as a top Iranian official was due to arrive. Israel said it struck targets belonging to the Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad.

Syria’s official news outlet SANA reported that Israeli strikes targeted several residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus and the Qudsaya area outside of the city at around 3:20 p.m. local time (7:20 a.m. ET). Fifteen people were killed and another 16 were injured, in addition to “significant” material damage to the buildings, according to the outlet.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israeli airstrikes hit a residential building in Mazzeh and a residential building in Qudsaya. The war monitor said four unidentified people were initially determined to have been killed.

The Israeli military said its air force struck military buildings and command centers belonging to Islamic Jihad in Syria. 

Islamic Jihad fights alongside Hamas in Gaza and has had a longtime presence in Syria and Lebanon.

Why it matters: Israeli strikes in Syria have escalated in the last month, as have attacks on Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. SANA reported Israeli strikes left seven civilians dead in the Sayeda Zainab area south of Damascus on Sunday. The outlet also reported alleged Israeli strikes in the western city of Homs on Oct. 31.

The uptick comes as Western and regional powers push for de-escalation in the region, including at the Arab-Islamic summit held in Saudi Arabia on Monday, and as Hezbollah conducts rocket attacks against Israel.

Iran and Hezbollah both have an extensive presence in Syria and have fought alongside the government in the civil war. 

The Mazzeh neighborhood has been the site of frequent targeting of Iranian military personnel. Syria reported an Israeli strike there in October. In April, a suspected Israeli strike killed several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers in Iran’s consulate in the neighborhood. That incident led to Iran’s then-unprecedented strikes against Israel the same month. In January, several IRGC were killed in a suspected Israeli strike that the Syrian Observatory said took place in Mazzeh.

Thursday’s attack came as a top Iranian adviser was due in Syria. The official Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Wednesday that Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would travel to Damascus on Thursday for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other Syrian officials.

Know more: The US military carried out airstrikes against Iran-linked militia targets in Syria on Monday following recent attacks on US bases in the country.