Int'l Community should take action to stop Israeli attacks: Damascus

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
19 Feb 17:03

Al Mayadeen correspondent in Syria said the Israeli aggression targeted areas in the Damascus countryside, in Kafr Sousa, and Tal Al-Masih near the city of Shahba, north of Al-Suwayda.

Journalists report from the damage of a medieval citadel after an early morning Israeli airstrike in the capital city of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

In a statement issued by the Syrian MoF, Damascus called on the Secretary General of the UN and the Security Council to denounce the Israeli aerial attacks against Syria and to take initiative to deter and prevent them. This appeal to the International Community comes in response to the bombing which targeted Damascus around midnight resulting in 5 deaths.

The MoF added that "the recurring crimes carried out by the terrorist government of the Zionist entity against both the Syrian and Palestinian people constitute an explicit threat to international peace and security in the region, and require firm and urgent international initiatives to stop Israeli aggressions on Syrian territories".

The Israeli aggression coincided with "ISIS" attacks in the eastern countryside of Homs governorate, which resulted in the death of dozens of civilians.

These attacks also came in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake that struck Aleppo. "Israel" conducted the aerial attacks while Syria was "healing its wounds, burying its martyrs, and receiving condolences and humanitarian and international support for the earthquake that struck it," according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry's statement.

Just past midnight, the Syrian air defenses engaged Israeli air-to-surface missiles in the skies of Damascus. The Israeli attack targeted the Kafr Sousa area in Damascus, and the Tal al Masih area near the city of Shahba, north of As-Suwayda, according to Al Mayadeen correspondent.

The Directorate stated in a statement that "the Israeli aggression, which targeted points in and around Damascus at dawn today, caused great damage to the Technical Institute of Applied Arts in the Damascus Citadel and the cultural center in Kafr Sousa."

The statement added that the damage affected the administrative offices of the Damascus Citadel, in addition to great damage to the Institute of Applied Arts and the Intermediate Institute of Archeology, all of which are educational institutions, noting that "the technical teams of the directorate are now conducting a preliminary survey to assess the damage."