Missile Strike Kills 15 In Damascus

On Sunday, February 19, 2023, a missile strike by Israel hit a residential area in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing 15 people and destroying a 10-story building in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood, which is home to much of Syria’s security apparatus.

The Israeli military rarely comments on its strikes against Syria, but it has repeatedly said that it will not let Iran extend its influence to Israel’s borders.

Since the start of the war in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against its neighbor, primarily targeting the Syrian army, Iranian forces, and Hezbollah, allies of the Syrian regime. However, it rarely hits residential areas of the capital, making this strike particularly unusual.

The strike comes more than a month after an Israeli missile strike hit Damascus International Airport, killing four people, including two soldiers. The January 2 strike targeted “positions for Hezbollah and pro-Iranian groups inside the airport and its surroundings, including a weapons warehouse,” according to the Observatory.

Sunday’s attack is the deadliest Israeli attack in the Syrian capital, according to the Britain-based Observatory, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria. The attack hit in Kafr Sousa, home to senior officials, security agencies, and intelligence headquarters. Footage posted by state media showed that the 10-story building was badly damaged in the attack, crushing the structure of its lower floors.

Syria’s defense ministry said in a statement that the Israeli attack took place at 00:22 am (2222 GMT), with an “aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights targeting several areas in Damascus and its vicinity, including residential neighborhoods.” The ministry stated that the attack killed five people, including a soldier, and injured 15 civilians, some in critical condition.

The latest strike comes as the Damascus government seeks to recover from the February 6 earthquake that killed more than 43,000 people in the country’s north and southern Turkey, but did not affect the capital. The earthquake has caused widespread destruction and displaced thousands of people, making the country’s recovery efforts all the more difficult.

The conflict in Syria has caused immense suffering and has led to the displacement of millions of people, with neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis. The international community has struggled to find a solution to the conflict, which has now entered its twelfth year, and the situation remains highly volatile.