Israeli warplanes targeted a headquarters belonging to Maher al-Assad, the commander of the Fourth Division and the brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the early hours of Sunday morning, following increased tensions on the occupied Syrian Golan front. According to Channel 13, the Israeli army carried out the bombing on Saturday-Sunday night in response to an Iranian drone that was launched from Syria toward Israel a week prior.
The shelling of the site was a response to an escalation on the occupied Syrian Golan front on Saturday-Sunday night, which began with the launch of 6 rockets from Syria. In response, the Israeli army carried out bombings on regime sites in Damascus, Quneitra, Daraa, and Sweida using warplanes, drones, and artillery shells. However, the Hebrew channel reported that the bombing of Maher al-Assad’s headquarters was not just a response to the rockets that targeted the occupied Golan, but also a message to his brother Bashar al-Assad, as he allowed the Iranians to launch a drone toward Israeli territory.
According to reports, Maher al-Assad was not implicated in the attack on the Golan on Sunday night. However, the bombing of his headquarters was meant to send a message that the Israeli attack was not solely in retaliation to the rocket fire. It was also a response to a drone launched from Syria approximately a week ago.
Qaani’s injury
Iranian sources have confirmed that Ismail Qaani, the leader of the Quds Force, arrived in Damascus on Friday, just hours after attending the funeral of two senior officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who were killed in an Israeli attack on an Iranian base on the outskirts of Damascus. Unofficial sources close to the IRGC have suggested that Qaani’s visit to Syria was intended to open a new front against Israel in the ongoing conflicts. This may be in reference to the recent missile launches from Syria on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Hebrew media sources on the Israeli side have reported on assassinations inside Syria, but they have not specified the identities of the targets. This comes after a series of raids conducted by Israel over the past two weeks, including the shelling of security headquarters in the vicinity of Damascus.
According to the “Ain al-Euphrates News Network,” which monitors the movements of factions affiliated with Iran and documents their locations, unidentified planes attacked a villa in the Yafour area of Damascus countryside. The villa is owned by Maher al-Assad, the brother of Bashar al-Assad, and was hosting a meeting of intelligence officers in the Syrian regime and Iranian officials, including Quds Force leader Ismail Qaani.
The network documented the moment when the building was targeted with a missile and stated that there were casualties, both dead and wounded, including Quds Force leader Ismail Qaani, as a result of the attack.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
