Israeli strike kills dozens in Syria – media (VIDEO)

An Israeli strike on the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra has killed at least 36 people and injured dozens of others, the SANA news agency reported on Wednesday.  

The state-run agency, citing a military source, said the attack targeted a residential complex and was launched from the direction of the al-Tanf US military base in the southeastern part of the country on the Jordanian border. Syria says all US forces on its territory are illegally stationed, while American officials claim it is part of Washington’s anti-terrorism campaign against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

Apart from killing 36 people and injuring 50 others, the attack inflicted “significant material damage to the buildings and the surrounding area,” SANA said.  

Unverified videos from Palmyra circulating on social media appear to show the immediate aftermath of the strike, with two tall plumes of smoke and dust rising into the sky as locals scramble for safety.

The Israeli website Ynet reported that the attack killed at least ten Syrian soldiers. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, provided its own assessment of the strike, saying that it claimed the lives of 46 people, including “18 Syrian members of Iran-backed militias, [and] 22 individuals of non-Syrian nationality,” adding that the injured included at least seven civilians.

The SOHR said that the airstrikes targeted a weapons depot near an area inhabited by families of Iranian-backed militias as well as facilities hosting local paramilitary leaders where an unnamed Hezbollah leader was present at the moment of the attack. The Israeli military has not commented on the strike.

Last week, West Jerusalem reported that it had bombed transit routes on the Syrian-Lebanese border that were used to ship weapons to Hezbollah. Israel has also said it would not allow Iran, its arch foe in the region, to increase its influence in Syria. The Jewish state has been striking targets in Syria for years, but has stepped up such attacks since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas last fall.

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, is widely known for its well-preserved ancient architecture, some of which dates back to the Roman Empire. However, the historic landmark was seized by IS in 2015 and has been heavily damaged during fighting involving both the Syrian army – which ended up in control of the city – and the US-led international coalition.