According to Syria’s defence ministry, Israel conducted operations on Syria’s capital, Damascus, and near the western city of Homs on Thursday. The Israeli onslaughts were directed towards the Kafr Sousa district of central Damascus and a Homs countryside military facility. One military personnel was killed and seven civilians were injured as a result of these attacks. Syrian state media sources indicated that the Israeli attacks also resulted in structural damage, though they failed to provide more details. Initial reports suggested that the attack in Kafr Sousa was directed at a residential area, causing explosions to be heard throughout Damascus.
As per their usual approach, Israel did not confirm or deny their involvement in these specific attacks. Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, has been visiting the Middle East with the aim of deescalating the violent confrontations. Israel had been attacking Iranian-associated targets in Syria for a considerable period, with an escalation seen following the October 7th assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, instigating the conflict in Gaza.
In a related account, Beirut’s southern suburbs saw Israeli attacks on Wednesday, with Iran-backed Hizbullah retaliating by launching their first ever precision-guided missiles at Israeli locations. This resulted in a series of fiery columns soaring high into the night sky around Beirut. Lebanon’s health ministry claimed that one person was killed and five others, including a child, were injured when an Israeli attack targeted the unmanned office of the pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.
Amid these events, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Middle East programme expressed concerns over Israeli military allegations against six Palestinian Al Jazeera journalists. Israeli forces cited their involvement with Hamas or Islamic Jihad militant groups as the basis of their claims. The Qatari network firmly rejected this, calling it an attempt to muzzle journalists, while the committee regarded such unverified terrorist allegations as an attempt to tarnish the reputation of Palestinian journalists.
In a statement released this past Thursday, the Lebanese military confirmed the demise of three of their soldiers, including an officer, during an Israeli offensive on the fringes of Yater village located in the south of Lebanon. This was while they were attending to casualties.
As the crossfire warfare heightens, the US is making a final potent attempt at reconciling Israel with Hizbullah and Hamas, Iranian-backed organisations, prior to the US presidential election on the 5th of November, an event that may transform US strategy.
Despite frequently visiting the Middle East amid this conflict, Mr Blinken embarks on his premier journey post the assassination of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and Israel’s most pursued enemy. His death is thought by Washington to possibly be a catalyst for harmony.
Given the imminent probability of Israeli retaliatory action against Iran’s missile attack on October 1st, the US is also working towards preventing an escalation in the clash. Mr Blinken opined that an Israeli retribution must not trigger a larger conflict.
However, signs of the strife broadening are visible, with fresh assaults around noon on Wednesday at Tyre, a UNESCO-recognised port city in Lebanon’s south. These strikes occurred subsequent to an Israeli evacuation directive.
The targets of the Israeli military included command and control centres belonging to Hizbullah, incorporating their southern front office. As of now, Hizbullah has remained silent on these claims.
Gaza, where Israel has been stepping up their offensive on the north edge after Sinwar’s death, witnessed 42 further casualties in the recent strikes by the Israelis, with the majority dead in the north region. Among those killed were Bilal Abu Atwi and his brother Mohammed, an Unrwa (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) driver. They died when their UN-branded vehicle was hit in Deir al-Balah.
Speaking from the hospital where his son’s remains were kept, their grieving father, Marwan, remarked that his children were martyred while serving their compatriots and community.
Israel has been given a 30-day window by the US to enhance the access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, which has been subjected to continual bombings, failing which may lead to a cut in some US military assistance.
In the one-year period since Israeli towns were attacked by fighters under Sinwar’s direction, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages in the process, Israel has decimated Gaza to eliminate Hamas, leading to almost 43,000 Palestinian casualties.
Over the past month, the raids on Lebanon have made over 1.2 million Lebanese people homeless.