An Israeli strike targeting a residential building in the town of Sayyida Zeinab in the Damascus countryside today, Sunday, November 10, resulted in the deaths of nine people and the injury of 20 others, whose identities are still unknown.
A medical source at Al-Sadr Hospital in Sayyida Zeinab reported in a press statement to the local Sham FM radio that the toll from the strike on the residential building reached nine dead and 20 injured, in a preliminary count.
The Syrian official news agency (SANA) stated that initial information indicates that Israel targeted a residential building in the area, without providing additional details about the nature of the site or the individuals targeted.
Local news pages circulated initial footage showing the apartment targeted in the Israeli strike.
As of the time of this news, Israel has not commented on the attack, while Israeli media coverage of the incident has been limited to what has been reported by the Syrian media.
Pro-Iran militias are active in the Sayyida Zeinab area, where several prominent leaders close to Tehran have been killed.
Israel intensifies strikes
The Israeli army has recently intensified its strikes on sites in Syria, clearly attempting to cut off weapon supplies to the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Uncharacteristically, Israel has acknowledged several of the strikes it has carried out in regime-controlled areas, the latest being near Sayyida Zeinab in the capital, Damascus.
Israel claimed it targeted assets belonging to the “intelligence corner of Hezbollah,” which is loyal to Iran, according to statements made by the Israeli army spokesperson for Arab media, Avichai Adraee, on November 4.
Meanwhile, the defense ministry of the regime government stated that Israel struck several civilian sites south of Damascus from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights.
The Syrian-Lebanese border has also faced repeated strikes from Israeli warplanes, aiming to sever supplies to Hezbollah from Syria. Israel has increased its airstrikes in recent weeks, targeting both official and unofficial crossings between the two countries.
Since 2011, Iran has brought armed militias loyal to it into Syria to support the regime against the uprising of Syrians demanding its overthrow.
Over the years, these militias, including Hezbollah, have fought alongside the regime and have settled in Syrian villages and cities after international efforts led to a freeze in combat fronts. However, some of these groups have been targeted by Israeli strikes due to their links to Iran.