ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Israeli aerial strike on a military site in Syria’s Damascus province killed five personnel and injured another, state media reported on Friday. Syrian state media (SANA), citing military sources, reported that an Israeli “aerial aggression” was launched from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights. The early morning attack targeted military positions on the Syria-Lebanon border near Kafeir Yabous village in Damascus province’s countryside, killing five soldiers and injuring another, according to SANA. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based conflict monitor, reported the attack targeted the Syrian "regime's border guard forces." According to SOHR, Israel has targeted Syrian territory 70 times since the start of the year, including 53 airstrikes and 17 ground strikes, hitting weapons and ammunition depots, headquarters, and vehicles. Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syrian regime-controlled areas in its nearly 13-year civil war, often targeting pro-Iran militias that support the Syrian army, such as Hezbollah. While Israel rarely comments on strikes attributed to it in Syria, Israel has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate Iran gaining a foothold there. The strikes have increased since October 7, when Palestinian Hamas militants launched an unprecedented, large-scale attack on Israeli territory that has prompted significant retaliation.
