Israel says it hits military sites in Damascus, Syrian media says 15 killed

Fifteen people were killed in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in Damascus on Thursday, Syrian state media reported, and Israel said the attacks targeted military sites and the headquarters of the Islamic Jihad group.

The buildings targeted were located in the suburbs of Mazzeh and Qudsaya, both in the west of the Syrian capital, SANA news agency reported, citing a Syrian military source.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since last year's Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.

Commanders in Lebanon's Hezbollah armed group and Iran's Revolutionary Guards based in Syria have been known to reside in Mazzeh, according to residents who fled after recent strikes that killed some key figures from the groups.

Mazzeh's high-rise blocks have been used by the authorities in the past to house leaders of Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Later on Thursday, explosions were heard in the Damascus countryside, the Syrian state TV said without giving details about the nature of the blasts.

Separately, Syrian state media also reported an Israeli attack completely destroyed a bridge in the area of Qusayr in southwest of Syria's Homs near the border with northern Lebanon.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Clauda Tanios in Dubai, Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman, Enas Alashray and Ahmed Tolba in CairoEditing by William Maclean, Ros Russell and David Gregorio)