Israel airstrikes Syrian capital to kill Hezbollah official

The attack took place late Tuesday night and hit a residential building in the Mezzah neighborhood of Damascus, Syria’s SANA news agency said. The area is home to several diplomatic and government buildings, including the Iranian diplomatic compound, which Israel attacked in April.

An Israeli airstrike destroyed three floors of a building in Mezzeh, a suburb of Damascus (Syria). Photo: BBC

According to SANA, seven citizens, including women and children, were killed in the airstrike. Israel reportedly targeted a Hezbollah official who they said was involved in smuggling weapons into Lebanon. It is not yet clear whether he was killed or not.

Tuesday's airstrikes came as Israel expanded its air and ground offensive in Lebanon, and also signaled that it plans to bring in its navy.

For years, Israel has periodically carried out airstrikes in Syria targeting weapons shipments destined for Hezbollah, a strategy the Jewish state has called “the war between wars.”

As the Middle East remains tense over the possibility of an Israeli retaliatory strike against Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of a diplomatic tour aimed at preventing further escalation in the region's wars.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in Riyadh on Wednesday. Photo: SPA

But another important diplomatic meeting scheduled for Wednesday will not take place: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was supposed to travel to Washington to discuss the situation in the Middle East with US officials. But Gallant said he postponed the visit at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The fate of the two visits highlights the complex regional dynamics that the Biden administration must navigate as it seeks to defuse the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and prevent the outbreak of a third war between Israel and Iran.

Quang Anh (according to NYT, WSJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/israel-mo-rong-khong-kich-sang-thu-do-syria-quyet-tieu-diet-cac-quan-chuc-hezbollah-post316039.html