Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the Israeli air force conducted an air strike on the Syrian capital, following reports of a raid that killed one person on March 13 from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. [Getty]
Israel on Thursday struck a building in Damascus, Syrian state media reported, with a war monitor saying the raid on an area where Palestinian leaders are known to reside killed one person.
“Israeli aircraft targeted a building with two missiles in… Damascus, killing at least one person,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said, while state news agency SANA also reported the strike.
Two Syrian security sources told news agency Reuters the target was a Palestinian person.
One of the sources said the building hit was the headquarters for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organisation.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has since confirmed the Israeli air force conducted an air strike in Damascus, as he issued a statement on the attack.
“There will be no immunity for Islamic terrorism against Israel — whether in Damascus or anywhere else. We will not allow Syria to become a threat to the state of Israel,” Katz said in a statement.
The Israeli military also claimed the building was a command centre belonging to the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, used to direct ‘terrorist activities’ against Israel.
A nine-second video released by the military, purportedly showing the air strike, captured what appeared to be an explosion at the edge of a building followed by thick plumes of smoke.
The military said the command centre was used to plan and direct “terrorist activities” by Islamic Jihad against Israel.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.
The New Arab could not independently verify the Israeli claims.
