The Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday that its forces had killed Salman Jumaa, a senior Hezbollah figure responsible for liaising with the Syrian army, in Damascus.
Syria's state news agency had reported the strike on the airport road but did not offer details on casualties © Mena Today
An Israeli airstrike on a car near Syria's capital Damascus on Tuesday killed Salman Jumaa, a senior Hezbollah figure responsible for liaising with the Syrian army, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.
Syria's state news agency had reported the strike on the airport road but did not offer details on casualties.
The Israeli military confirmed in a later statement taking out Jumaa in what it called an intelligence-based strike in Damascus, saying his killing "degrades both Hezbollah’s presence in Syria and Hezbollah’s ongoing force-building efforts".
Israel rarely acknowledges its strikes in Syria, where it has carried out a years-long air campaign against Iranian military assets and those of its allies, including Hezbollah.
In a rare announcement last month, it said it struck Hezbollah intelligence assets near Damascus.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he was "playing with fire" by allowing Iran to transfer weapons to its allies via Syria.
Reporting by Jaidaa Taha
The deaths of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza in August were probably linked to an Israeli strike near where they were being held, the Israeli military said on Wednesday.
Russia said on Wednesday that it strongly backs the actions of the Syrian leadership to counter an offensive by what it said were terrorist groups receiving support, including drones and training, from outside the country.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel had pressured Hamas to the extent that a hostage deal with the Iranian-backed group might be possible.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.