Israeli warplanes launched a string of attacks on residential areas in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Thursday, killing at least 15 people; reports from Syrian state media said the government confirmed that the target was military facilities and headquarters of the Islamic Jihad group.

Airstrikes Strike Residential Suburbs of Damascus

The suburbs of Mazzeh and Qudsaya, western Syria’s capital, were attacked in the airstrike. A military source quoted by SANA, the Syrian Arab News Agency, said the buildings attacked are residential; this raised questions over the likely civilian casualty in this regional conflict.

Escalating Tensions Following Gaza War

Hamas organized and launched the attack on Israel on October 7 last year. Ever since then, airstrikes on locations inside Syria with a resemblance to Iranian influence have been conducted at a rate greater than ever before. Following this Hamas-organized attack, the Gaza war ensued and was played out so well by Israeli military activity in the territory.(More)

Leaders and Military Deployed to Mazzeh

The Mazzeh suburb is a strategic area that, for decades, was a base for some of Hezbollah’s and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s key figures. Those organizations are known to have good relationships with Palestinian factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The city’s inhabitants, who know the labyrinthine geopolitics in the region, had reportedly left following a recent series of Israeli strikes that killed some of its leading figures linked with the organizations.

Earlier, the suburb’s high-rise buildings were used in housing leadership figures from Palestinian factions; hence, it is one of the frequent places in Israel that conduct military operations.

Explosions Continue in Damascus Countryside

Additional blasts occurred in the countryside beyond Damascus later on Thursday. Syrian state television confirmed the blasts, but no further information on the cause or damage is known. Fright has been running high as residents feel the attacks could continue.

Bridge Destroyed Near Syrian-Lebanese Border

But another report, by Israel’s Channel 2, made on May 6, said that warplanes launched an attack on a bridge in Qusayr near Homs, southwest of the city and near the border with Lebanon. Syrian state media reported the destruction of a bridge in Qusayr. The attack appears to be part of a new wave of strikes that have seen Israel expand the operational scope by attacking logistical routes to limit the movement of groups in Syria supported by Iran.

Broader Context: Israeli Operations in Syria

Israel’s airstrikes on Syria are not new. It targeted, for a long time, locations associated with Iran’s influence in the country: supply routes, arms depots, and military facilities. The escalation in terms of frequency and scale, however, occurred when the recent tension grew with Palestinian militant groups and aimed to counter the growing influence of Hezbollah and other Iran-backed entities.

The reaction of the world to this air raid wave varies from despising the bombing of the residential areas of cities with vigorous Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to virtually standing by Israel as the right move against the actual danger of the Iran-Iraq axis. Hugely stakes game by both Iran and Israel continue fashioning the complex geopolitics of the Middle East region.