• A member of the Syrian new administration's security forces stands guard at the site of an Israeli strike on a building in Damascus, on March 13, 2025 (AFP)

The Israeli occupation military on Thursday carried out an aggression on the al-Tarasat area in the Mashrou' Dummar district of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building in the Mashrou' Dummar area on the outskirts of Damascus, according to the correspondent of the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) in Damascus.

Social media platforms circulated videos showing civil defense personnel evacuating several injured individuals following the Israeli attack.

The Israeli military said it launched an airstrike on Damascus, targeting what it claimed was a command center belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement. A PIJ spokesman later affirmed that the Israeli aggression on Damascus targeted an empty house and not a PIJ leadership headquarters as claimed by the occupation.

#WATCH | The aftermath of the Israeli aggression on Damascus, #Syria. https://t.co/W93ZggNqQ0

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 13, 2025

Two Syrian security sources informed Reuters that the strike targeted a Palestinian individual. Some media reports suggested that seven people were injured as a result of the Israeli assault.

It is worth noting that on March 3, "Israel" launched an attack on Tartus, where the Israeli military announced that it had targeted a military site in Qardaha containing weapons allegedly belonging to the former Syrian regime.

Further Israeli incursions in Syrian territory

In a related context, Syrian local sources reported that Israeli occupation forces advanced into the vicinity of Ain al-Nouriya village and the outskirts of Kom Muheires town in the southern countryside of Quneitra.

A local source stated that the Israeli incursion into the Quneitra countryside coincided with intense gunfire from the occupation forces.

Since the fall of the previous regime in December 2024, Israeli occupation forces have expanded their incursions into Syrian territory beyond the demilitarized zone, seizing control of approximately 95% of Quneitra province and large parts of western Daraa countryside, including the Yarmouk Basin.

The occupation army has established several military outposts in strategic locations, including the slopes of Mount Hermon, from which its forces now have direct fire control over Daraa, Quneitra, and the Damascus countryside.

Read more: 'Israel' says not to allow any Syrian military infrastructure in south

9,000 Syrians sheltering at Russian base in Hmeimim

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced on Thursday that Russia’s airbase in Hmeimim, Syria, is currently providing shelter to approximately 9,000 people fleeing a surge in sectarian violence.

Hmeimim is one of two military bases that Russia hopes to retain following the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by Islamist factions in December.

"They were seeking refuge, simply understanding that it was a matter of life and death," Zakharova told reporters, noting that the majority of those seeking shelter were women and children.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, hundreds of Alawite civilians have been killed following clashes between the new security forces and their allies and militants reportedly affiliated with the ousted regime.

The Britain-based war monitor said the civilians were executed by security forces and allied groups following an outbreak of violence last week along Syria's coast.

The Observatory accused security forces and their allied groups of carrying out "field executions, forced displacement and burning of homes, with no legal deterrent."

Zakharova stressed that Russia is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of its citizens and military installations in Syria. She also stated that Moscow is actively engaging with Arab states, Turkiye, and Iran to promote long-term stability in the country.

Russia is deeply shocked by the ongoing violence and hopes those responsible will be held accountable, she added.