Israeli Strikes on Syrias Palmyra Kill 36 State Media

A UK-based monitoring group shared a video claiming to show the aftermath of the strikes in Palmyra.

At least 36 people were killed and 50 injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting residential buildings and an industrial zone in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, according to Syrian state media.  

The state-run Sana news agency, citing a military source, reported that the strikes were launched around 13:30 local time (10:30 GMT) from the direction of the Jordanian border, causing significant material damage. A UK-based monitoring group reported a higher death toll of 41, stating that the strikes hit a weapons depot and other locations near areas housing families of Iran-backed militia fighters.  

Israel has previously admitted to conducting hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, targeting sites it claims are connected to Iran and allied groups like Hezbollah.  

Reports suggest Israeli strikes in Syria have intensified since the Gaza war began in October 2023, as a response to cross-border attacks on northern Israel by Hezbollah and other groups operating from Lebanon and Syria. Videos and photos shared on social media after Wednesday's strikes show three massive columns of black smoke billowing from the Palmyra area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, reported that Israeli fighter jets targeted three locations in Palmyra during the strikes. According to the SOHR, two of the targets were in the al-Jamiya neighborhood, including a weapons depot near the industrial zone where families of Iran-backed fighters from Iraq and other foreign countries reside.  

The third target was a nearby site hosting a meeting of leaders from Iran-backed militias in Palmyra and its surrounding desert, along with figures from the Iraqi group Nujaba and Hezbollah.  

The SOHR stated that 41 people were killed, including 22 foreign nationals, seven Syrians, and seven civilians among the injured.  

Last Thursday, Israel acknowledged carrying out airstrikes in Damascus, which Syrian state media said resulted in 15 deaths. The Israeli military said those strikes targeted "terrorist infrastructure sites and command centers" linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad armed group.