DAMASCUS: Israel carried out an airstrike on the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, targeting what the military said was a command centre belonging to Palestinian fighter group Islamic Jihad.

Syria’s state news agency SANA said three civilians had been hurt, including a woman who was in critical condition, and that the building was at the edge of Damascus.

Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the Israeli Air Force conducted an air strike in Damascus, with the military saying it had struck a “command centre” of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.

A nine-second video released by the Israeli military, purportedly showing the airstrike, captured what appeared to be an explosion at the edge of a building followed by thick plumes of smoke. Islamic Jihad spokesperson Muhammad al-Haj Musa denied the targeted building was a command centre, writing on Telegram that it was an empty house. Two Syrian security sources, without providing details, said that the target was a Palestinian.

Islamic Jihad fought alongside Hamas against Israel in Gaza before a fragile truce began in January. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that such strikes would be carried out in the region against “whoever attacks us”.

A source in the Islamic Jihad said a building belonging to the group had been hit by Israeli jets, adding there were “martyrs and wounded” in the strike.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2025