Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
A series of Israeli strikes hit the northern Syrian governorate of Aleppo early on March 29, claiming the lives of dozens of people.
A Syrian military official said in a statement to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that a number of civilians and military personnel were killed after Israel and militant groups launched attacks against Aleppo.
The Israeli strikes targeted several areas in the countryside of Aleppo at about 1:45 a.m. local time [10:45 p.m. GMT], the unnamed official said, adding that the strikes coincided with drone attacks carried out from Idlib and western rural Aleppo by “terrorist group” targeting civilians in Aleppo and its surroundings.
However, the official did not mention a specific death toll or clarify whether the casualties were caused by the Israeli airstrikes or the attacks by militant groups.
“The aggression resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of civilians and military personnel and caused material losses to public and private property,” the official said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the Israeli strikes targeted ammunition depots in the town of Jabrin close to Aleppo International Airport in the outskirts of the Aleppo city as well as military factories in the town of al-Safira in the southern Aleppo countryside. It also reported explosions at the town of Kafr Jum in the western countryside of the governorate.
The London-based monitoring group put the death toll from the Israeli strikes at 42. However, Reuters reported, citing two security sources, that the strikes claimed the lives of 38 civilians and military personnel, including five fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The attack on Aleppo came hours after Israeli strikes hit the town of al-Bahdaliyah wounding two civilians late on March 28, according to the SANA.
Israel has significantly escalated its attacks on Syria since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip last October, targeting Syrian military sites as well as personnel of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hezbollah and other affiliated armed factions.
On March 26, at least 18 people, including an IRGC adviser, were killed when a series of strikes hit the government-held part of the eastern Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor. Damascus blamed the United States. However, the Pentagon denied responsibility, which left Israel as the only suspect.
The attack on Aleppo was a serious escalation by Israel. It may be the deadliest Israeli attack to target Syrian territory since the war of 1973.
Despite the high death toll, war-torn Syria will not likely respond directly against Israel as this could lead to a dangerous confrontation.
