Syria: Two civilians killed in an Israeli raid near Damascus

The Syrian Defense Ministry said that Israel fired several missiles at Syrian military positions near the capital, Damascus, on Monday, killing two civilians and causing damage to property. It was the first Israeli attack inside Syria since Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, invaded Ukraine.

The ministry stated that the Israeli planes, which were flying in the skies of Lebanon, fired missiles towards Syria. The Syrian authorities added that most of the missiles were shot down by the Syrian anti-aircraft defenses.

No further details were provided and no indication was given of how civilians were killed.

Israel has not commented on the attack and does not usually acknowledge such operations. But it has carried out hundreds of strikes against targets in government-controlled areas of Syria during the civil war of the past decade.

Israel relies on Russia for security coordination in Syria, where Russia has a strong military presence. This forces the Israeli prime minister to seek a compromise between Russia and Ukraine. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also assumed the role of the unlikely mediator between Russia and Ukraine.

Monday’s attack was the first since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, sparking the current war. On the same day, three Syrian soldiers were killed in an Israeli attack near Damascus.

Israel claims that its attacks in Syria are directed against militias allied with Iran, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which are fighting alongside the Syrian president.