DAMASCUS: An Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed two Syrian civilians, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week.

During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.

“The Israeli enemy carried out an air strike” shortly after midnight, resulting “in the death of two civilians”, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in the war-torn country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor gave the same civilian death toll, with its director Rami Abdel Rahman adding that at least “one non-Syrian Iran-backed fighter” was also killed in the assault.

‘Planner of IS Europe attacks’ killed by US

An Israeli missile targeted a radar in the countryside of Sweida, while another hit a glass factory in the Al-Kiswah area of the Damascus countryside, killing the two civilians, it said.

The US military said on Tuesday it had launched a strike in Syria killing a senior Islamic State group militant responsible for planning attacks in Turkiye and Europe.

The strike in northwestern Syria on Monday killed senior IS leader Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, US Central Command said.

Published in Dawn, April 5rd, 2023