2023 Damascus airstrike | |
---|---|
Part of Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war and the Iran–Israel proxy conflict | |
Location | |
Target | Ammunition depot |
Date | 19 February 2023 00:22 – (UTC+3) |
Executed by | ![]() |
Casualties | 15 killed, 15 injured |
On 18 February, an airstrike, suspected to have been carried out by the Israeli Air Force, targeted sites in the Damascus Governorate, including a residential building. [1] Fifteen people were killed, [2] and another fifteen were injured. [3]
Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, many international airstrikes have been carried out. In Syria, there is a large presence of Iranian troops as well as allies including Hezbollah and foreign militias from Iraq and Afghanistan. The strike took place in the same area where Hezbollah's senior commander, Imad Mughniyeh, was assassinated in 2008. [4]
On 18 February, missiles, allegedly fired by Israel from the Golan Heights, struck heavily-guarded Iranian installations in the Kafr Sousa area of Damascus. [5] [6] [7] According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), the strike hit a warehouse used by Iranian and Hezbollah fighters. [2] Per Orient News, the strike targeted Iranian militia officials at the so-called Iranian school. [8]
Historic buildings near the Citadel of Damascus were damaged, which was blamed on the strike. [9] The strike damaged buildings near Umayyad Square, where multiple security installations are located. [10] Other civilian buildings were also damaged, resulting in 15 injuries. [3] [9] In Kfar Souseh, many regime-affiliated security complexes are located next to residential buildings. [11]
A woman was killed in the Marzaa District, possibly due to Syrian anti-aircraft munitions. [9]
According to Wael Alwan of Syrian think tank Jusoor, the strike may have been part of Israel's attempts to disrupt the flow of weapons from Iran to Syria. [11]
According to SOHR, 15 people, including at least 7 military fighters and 2 civilians, were killed. [2] [9] According to The National, Colonel Amjad Ali, nicknamed the 'butcher of Damascus', was among the dead. [11] Sources told Reuters that the airstrike targeted an installation where Iranian officials were meeting to advance military programs aimed at developing drone or missile capabilities. [12]
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, considering it a "flagrant violation of international law". [8] The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly denounced the strikes in Damascus, expressing their outrage at the destruction and civilian casualties caused. [13] Hamas strongly "condemned the Israeli attack and its targeting of residential neighborhoods in the capital, Damascus..." [14] while the Islamic Jihad Movement stated that the bombing "reveals Israel's continuous efforts to target Syria and deepen the tragedy of its people who are healing their wounds after the devastating earthquake." [14]