A series of Israeli airstrikes near the Syrian city of Aleppo resulted in casualties among civilians and military personnel on Friday. According to Reuters, thirty-eight people were killed, including five members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. One of the Hezbollah fighters was a local field commander whose brother was killed in a previous Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli warplanes launched the attack around 1:45 a.m. local time from the direction of Athriya, southeast of Aleppo. Israel has conducted airstrikes on Aleppo and Damascus, citing concerns that Iran could use Syria as a base for aggression against Israel.
Syria and Israel do not have diplomatic relations and consider each other enemies. The recent strikes mark some of the deadliest since Israel escalated its military campaign against Iran-backed groups in Syria following an attack on Israel by the Iran-backed group Hamas on October 7.
Subsequent to the Hamas assault, clashes between Iran-backed groups and Israel have increased, with armed groups also targeting US troops supporting Israel in the region. Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed Islamist movement with a significant paramilitary force, has been actively involved in the conflict since October 7, engaging in intense cross-border fighting with Israel.
Hezbollah has maintained a strong presence in Syria since the Arab Spring protests in 2011, participating in proxy wars alongside Iran-aligned forces and supporting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad against the opposition. The group's involvement in the conflict has raised concerns about the potential for the Gaza conflict to escalate into a broader regional war.
