Israeli rocket strike kills at least five in Syrian capital

Israeli rocket strike kills at least five in Syrian capital
Publish:
A+ A-
The Israeli strike has targeted an area in a densely populated district in the heart of Damascus.

Amid relief efforts in Syria where the twin earthquakes on 6 February claimed thousands of victims, an Israeli rocket strike on early Sunday hit a building in central Damascus's Kafr Sousa neighborhood, killing five people.

The targeted building was near a large, heavily guarded security complex close to Iranian installations, Reuters said, citing witnesses and officials.

The strike caused damage in several buildings in the densely populated district close to Omayyad square in the heart of the capital, where security buildings are located within residential areas.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.

Syrian state news agency confirmed fatalities and said 15 others were wounded in the strike, conducted by "waves of missiles targeting areas in Damascus and its vicinity, including residential neighborhoods."

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) put the fatalities at 15, adding that a woman was killed by an Israeli rocket elsewhere in Damascus.

The strike came 13 days after Israeli authorities said in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake that they were ready to provide assistance for relief in Syria.