At least 12 dead in Israeli attack on Syrian region of Aleppo

An overnight Israeli attack on the northern Syrian province of Aleppo has left several people dead and caused damage.

Videos allegedly taken after the attack and shared on social media showed large flames blazing from a building.

Israel launched the attack after midnight from a position southeast of Aleppo, a Syrian military source told the state news agency Sana on Monday.

Its rockets hit areas around the city of Aleppo, causing “several martyrs and some damage,” the source said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said an airstrike on the town of Hayyan, north of Aleppo, killed at least “12 pro-Iranian fighters” and the attack “triggered powerful explosions in a factory.”

Hayyan is “controlled by pro-Iranian groups composed of Syrians and foreigners,” according to the observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria.

Israel has made little comment on the numerous attacks it has allegedly carried out in Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. However, the country has repeatedly stated that it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in Syria.

The attacks hit Syrian government forces and allied Iran-backed militias, including the Lebanese militant group HezbollahLast month, Israel launched an attack on the coastal town of Baniyas.

Since Israel began its war on Gaza on October 7 in response to an attack by the Iran-backed Palestinian militia Hamas, attacks have increased.

The war in Syria has killed more than half a million people and forced millions more to flee since it broke out in 2011 after Damascus cracked down on anti-government protests.

Updated: June 3, 2024, 08:22