The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said Israel targeted the house of one of its officials in the Syrian capital on Tuesday. The attack killed one of his sons. While Assad is protecting Islamist Jihadists in Damascus, he claims to be fighting Jihad.
Syria, and in particular Damascus, is home to multiple Jihadi organizations the Assad regime cultures and nurtures. Prior to the civil war, Assad deployed them to attack Israel. It seems, once again, they are on the move, which explains the timing of the Israeli attack.
Syrian state media earlier reported that at least two people were killed and six wounded in an attack in the early hours that targeted a building in Damascus. It did not mention names of those attacked, or made any reference as to the perpetrators of the attack.
An Islamic Jihad official confirmed it was the same incident in which the home of Jihadi Akram Al-Ajouri that Israel struck. In a statement, Islamic Jihad blamed the attack on Israel.
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Also on Tuesday, Israel killed a top commander of the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. It accused him of carrying out a series of cross-border attacks and planning more.
Syrian state media identified the building as a civilian home located near the Lebanese embassy in Mezzah. The western district of the capital is home to Damascus University and many foreign embassies.
Earlier, state media had said the Syrian army opened fire on “a hostile target” over Daraya, a suburb southwest of Damascus. Photos published by state news agency SANA showed damage to a two-story building and debris strewn over cars.
In recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria against its regional arch foe Iran; as well as the Lebanese Hezbollah group. Israel consider them the biggest threat to its borders.
Reuters contributed to this article.
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