Death toll from Israeli raids on Damascus countryside rises to 5
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The death toll from Israeli raids on the Damascus countryside has risen to 5, with members of Syria’s Defense Ministry wounded.
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Two Syrian army officers inspect the site of an Israeli strike at a military airbase near Hama, Syria on April 3, 2025. (AP)
The death toll from two Israeli raids on the Damascus countryside has risen to 5, with several others wounded, including members of the Syrian Ministry of Defense, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Strikes on al-Kiswah
The Observatory reported on Tuesday evening that the raids struck the al-Kiswah area near the Suwayda road. Among the wounded were elite forces who had previously served within "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" before joining the ministry.
In a related development, an explosion was reported on Monday in the vicinity of the former Fourth Division Mountains (Moadamieh Mountains) in the Damascus countryside, followed by plumes of smoke. The cause of the blast remains unclear.
Escalation of Israeli violations
These incidents reflect a continued escalation of Israeli aggression inside Syrian territory, particularly along the border strip with the occupied Syrian Golan.
Amid these developments, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with an Israeli delegation in Paris — the first official announcement of a meeting between the two sides.
Syria condemns Israeli attacks on Quneitra, demand UN action
The Syrian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned recent Israeli attacks on its territory, following an airstrike that killed a Syrian civilian in the village of Taranja in the northern countryside of Quneitra.
The ministry stated that the aggression also comprised a ground incursion into the town of Sweida, where Israeli occupation forces conducted detention campaigns, raided homes, and fired live ammunition. Over 30 military vehicles reportedly took part in the operation.
In its statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry emphasized that "Israel’s" continued illegal presence on the summit of Mount Hermon and in the UN-designated buffer zone is a direct violation of international agreements.
"These aggressive practices constitute a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and relevant Security Council resolutions," the statement read, describing the attacks as a threat to regional peace and security.
On Monday, Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli occupation forces' (IOF) military incursion in the Beit Jann area of rural Damascus, calling it a "blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity."
In a statement, the ministry warned that this "serious escalation constitutes a direct threat to regional peace and security," highlighting that it once again embodies "the aggressive approach pursued by the occupation authorities, in blatant defiance of the provisions of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.
