Israel launches missile attack on downtown Damascus

Five people were killed as a result of an Israeli missile strike on one of the districts of Damascus, Reuters reported on February 19. According to the agency, the attack damaged several buildings in the well-guarded central quarter of the Syrian capital Kafr Susa, where, in addition to residential buildings, there are military installations.

The Syrian Armed Forces, in a released statement, confirmed that the attack took place, and their press office said that “several civilian houses were hit by the Israeli strike, and a number of other areas in and around Damascus suffered property damage.” According to the Syrian military, the shelling of several targets at once in the capital of the country occurred on February 19, shortly after midnight, and in addition to the five dead, another 15 people were injured.

In addition, Reuters reports that an Israeli missile fell near “Iranian installations.” It is noteworthy that earlier, in 2008, Israel had already attacked Kafr Sousse. Then, as a result of shelling, one of the leaders of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah group, Imad Mugnia, was killed. For the past 10 years, Israel has been attacking Syrian facilities, which they declare to be places of storage of Iranian weapons and camps of pro-Iranian militants in Syria. Israel most often does not take responsibility for this kind of operation, and a representative of the Israeli armed forces also refused to comment on the attack on Damascus on February 19.