The Israel Defence Force has broadened the scope of its war with neighbours to Syria, with attacks on the capital Damascus and a military site in Homs, a city in the eastern region of the country.
With the latest attack on Syria, Israel is currently fighting on up to four fronts – Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and other Iran’s proxies.
Lebanon-based Iran proxy, Hezbollah, said it launched precision-guided missile attacks on Israel for the first time on Wednesday, while the IDF said it killed over 160 Hezbollah fighters in 24-hour operations.
A Reuters Agency’s report earlier Thursday morning said Israeli strikes targeted the central Damascus neighbourhood of Kafr Sousa and a military site in the Homs countryside, killing one soldier and injuring seven other people.
The Syrian Ministry of Defence statement quoted the strikes as having caused “material damage” but did not elaborate. However, Syrian state media had earlier said explosions were heard in Damascus after Israel struck a residential building in Kafr Sousa.
Israel typically does not comment on specific reports of strikes in Syria.
Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iranian-linked targets in Syria for years. Still, it has ramped up raids since last year’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which sparked the Gaza war, which has led to the death of over 40,000 victims, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian officials.
On Wednesday, Israeli strikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs, while the country’s Iran-backed Hezbollah statement said it fired precision-guided missiles for the first time at Israeli targets.
Hezbollah said in a statement late on Wednesday that it had escalated its attacks on Israel, using “precision missiles” for the first time and launching new types of drones on Israeli targets, without offering further details.
The Israeli military said four projectiles were identified as having been fired from Lebanon, two were intercepted and two fell to the ground.
Three Lebanese soldiers were killed, including an officer, in an Israeli strike during the evacuation of wounded people on the outskirts of the village of Yater in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said in a statement on Thursday.
Dozens of Terrorists Killed in Lebanon – Israel
Israel’s bombardments have left Beirut and other parts of Lebanon in ruins
IDF said it has “eliminated dozens of terrorists” and struck more than 160 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past 24 hours.
The Israel Defence Forces said fighter jets attacked targets including launchers, military buildings and military infrastructure throughout Lebanon – and eliminated “approximately 20 terrorists”.
It also claimed one of its divisions had located “ammunition depots that contained hundreds of antitank missiles and mortar bombs”, without specifying where.
At the same time, in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza where Israel has increased its activity in recent weeks, Israeli troops killed “dozens of terrorists”.
In central Gaza, the IDF says its artillery struck and dismantled “many terrorist infrastructure sites”.
