For the second time in a week, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Sunday evening, November 10, striking multiple locations in the Sayyida Zainab area south of Damascus. The strikes resulted in casualties, with reports indicating deaths and injuries on the ground.
The Syrian regime’s SANA news agency reported the “Israeli aggression” targeted the Sayyida Zainab area, specifically near the municipality arch and an apartment close to the al-Fatimiyeh district. Local news sources circulated footage from the scene, with activists noting that one of the targeted apartments may have been linked to an assassination attempt, though no official confirmation of the killing of any high-ranking figure within Iranian-aligned militias has been released.
This latest round of airstrikes marks an escalation in Israeli actions within regime-held territories, as Israeli aircraft have reportedly struck Syrian locations eight times in the last ten days. Recent targets included both legal and illicit crossings near the Lebanon-Syria border in Homs, ostensibly aimed at disrupting supply routes. Additionally, Israeli strikes have hit sites in the Rif Dimashq, Aleppo, and Idlib governorates, resulting in approximately 25 casualties among Assad regime forces and affiliated Iranian militias, notably Lebanese Hezbollah.
On November 4, Israeli airstrikes had similarly targeted sites within the Sayyida Zainab area, a key zone of Iranian influence in Syria. Regime-affiliated media reported that those strikes focused on three areas: the city of Sayyida Zainab, near the Damascus International Airport Hotel, and the town of Najha, leading to further casualties.
The Sayyida Zainab district is under strong Iranian influence, with Israel frequently targeting Iranian-aligned militias, including Hezbollah and Syrian regime forces in Damascus and surrounding areas. Last June, Israeli forces reportedly struck a center affiliated with the Iranian “Jihad al-Bina Foundation” near Hajira, a gateway to Sayyida Zainab, which is largely controlled by Iranian militias.
Reports from Western and regional intelligence sources highlight that Israel’s strikes in Syria have led to significant losses among Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian fighters, particularly in Damascus’s eastern suburbs and southern Syria. Repeated Israeli air raids have hit multiple Assad regime and Iranian-aligned militia locations across Damascus, Homs, Hama, and Aleppo. Despite decades of Israeli strikes, the Syrian regime’s response has largely been to retaliate within Syria’s borders, while declaring its ongoing “right to respond” to Israeli incursions.
This ongoing conflict underscores the complexities of Syrian regional dynamics, with continued Israeli air operations aimed at countering Iranian influence and disrupting Hezbollah activities in Syria.
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.
