Reports from news agencies and a war monitor indicate that Israeli air strikes in Syria’s northern province of Aleppo have resulted in the deaths of over 40 people, the majority of whom were soldiers.
The casualties included six members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, as reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has raised the death toll to 42 and noted that numerous individuals were also injured.
According to Syria’s Ministry of Defence, the attacks occurred around 1:45 am on Friday (22:45 GMT on Thursday) and targeted multiple areas in Aleppo’s countryside. The ministry did not provide specific casualty figures, but stated that a number of civilians and military personnel were killed, and property was damaged. This was attributed to Israel and unnamed armed groups carrying out the strikes, as reported by Syria’s state news agency SANA.
The SOHR, an opposition war monitor, revealed that Israeli strikes hit a weapons depot near Aleppo International Airport, resulting in a series of large explosions. At least 36 Syrian soldiers were killed, and Hezbollah weapons depots were also impacted.
While the Israeli military has not confirmed the attacks, reports from Beirut, Lebanon by Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr suggest that Syrian state media did not disclose the target. However, activists on the ground indicated that Syrian soldiers and fighters from Hezbollah, which has a military presence in Syria, were among the casualties.
Khodr also noted that Israel has been increasingly targeting Iranian-aligned groups, including Hezbollah, in Syria. This has led to a more aggressive posture from Israel, with escalated attacks since the start of the current war in Gaza in October.
Israel’s strikes in Syria have also extended to Syrian army air defenses and other forces, indicating a less constrained approach in terms of casualties.
Original from www.aljazeera.com