Israeli aircraft targeted a border crossing connecting Lebanese territory with Syria from the direction of the city of al-Qusayr in western Homs countryside.

The local site “Al-Watan Online” reported on Thursday, October 10, that the head of the firefighting brigade in Homs, Iyad Muhammad, stated that an Israeli strike targeted a crossing from the Lebanese side in the town of al-Qasr near the Matraba crossing, which has been out of service for a while due to previous Israeli targeting.

Local radio station “Sham FM” also reported the attack on the crossing, although no human casualties were mentioned.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that the strike on the crossing is part of Israel’s efforts to tighten the grip on Lebanese Hezbollah by cutting off its supply routes from Syria to Lebanon.

The town of al-Qasr corresponds to the Syrian town of Matraba, which the regime announced in 2022 as newly opened with Lebanon, making it the fourth border center in Homs province and the sixth between Syria and Lebanon.

According to the Syrian news agency (SANA), the Matraba crossing aims to improve economic, commercial, and tourism relations between the two countries.

A few days ago, the crossing was subjected to Israeli bombardment, resulting in eight injuries, according to SANA.

The Israeli army stated that the attack aimed to “prevent the transfer of military equipment to Hezbollah.”

The neighboring town of Hosh al-Sayed Ali has faced repeated Israeli bombardments over the past months, with the most recent occurring on October 5, resulting only in material damage.

On August 2, the town was targeted by Israeli airstrikes alongside the towns of Matraba and Jarmash, and it was also bombed on June 11.

Al-Qusayr is considered one of the key areas where elements of Hezbollah have been deployed since they took control in 2013, especially as it faces significant areas of its influence on the Lebanese side.

Over the years, Israel has targeted sites across different regions of Syria, including military points for the regime’s army and other facilities, centers, or infrastructure associated with Iran and its militias, usually not claiming responsibility for these operations.

However, Israeli strikes have escalated in the past two weeks in parallel with the Israeli escalation against Lebanon, and Homs governorate in central Syria has also witnessed its share of these air raids, whether around al-Qusayr, the industrial city of Hasya, or weapon depots.