Missile Attack on a Security Area in Damascus; Syria Blames Israel

On Wednesday, February 21, Syrian state television reported that Israel launched a missile attack on an apartment in a residential building in the "Kafr Sousseh" area of Damascus, the capital of Syria, resulting in the deaths of at least two people. However, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, three individuals were killed in the attack. Syrian state television stated that several others were injured as a result of the attack, but did not mention the identities of the deceased or the injured. Reuters also reported that Syrian state media and a security source indicated that the Israeli airstrike occurred around 9:40 AM local time on Wednesday. A security source told Syrian state television that the deceased were civilians, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated on social media that one of the three killed was a civilian. According to Reuters, images released by Syrian state media show the charred remains of a multi-story building. Meanwhile, the Syrian security source claimed that "the attack did not reach its targets," but did not provide further details. In the meantime, the Associated Press noted that there was no confirmation of the attacks from Israel, stating that the pro-government radio station Sham FM reported that the attack hit a building near an Iranian school. Previously, various media outlets had reported that this area hosts forces from several security services from the region. Additionally, Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in the UK, told Al Arabiya that the Israeli attack on the "Kafr Sousseh" neighborhood in Damascus was an assassination operation targeting a building frequented by commanders of Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). However, Abdulrahman did not provide details about the identities of the deceased and injured. He added that this attack resembled an attack that resulted in the killing of Saleh Arouri, a senior Hamas official in Beirut last month. According to the Associated Press, Wednesday's attack damaged the fourth floor of a 10-story building, shattered windows of nearby buildings, and also damaged dozens of parked vehicles in the area. Israeli officials had remained silent regarding the attack until the publication of this report. Nevertheless, in recent years, Israel has conducted hundreds of attacks on targets in areas controlled by the Syrian government. Israel rarely confirms its actions in Syria but has stated that it targets bases of Iran-aligned militant groups, such as Hezbollah, which have sent fighters to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Last month, an Israeli attack in the western Mazzeh neighborhood of the Syrian capital destroyed a building used by the IRGC, killing at least five Iranians. Syria reported two Israeli attacks in one day, with high casualties among groups referred to as "resistance"; at least 18 senior commanders of groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic were killed over five months. The killing of Saeed Alidadi, a member of the IRGC, was attributed to an Israeli attack in Damascus. Reuters reported that the IRGC has relocated several of its commanders from Syria following Israeli attacks. Seven people were killed in an Israeli attack in southern Damascus.