Israeli airstrikes conducted in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday resulted in the deaths of 38 individuals, including five members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, according to two security sources.
The Syrian defense ministry reported earlier on Friday that a number of civilians and military personnel were killed following attacks launched by Israel and militant groups targeting Aleppo.
The airstrikes, occurring at approximately 1:45 a.m. local time (2245 GMT), targeted several areas in Aleppo’s countryside, as stated by the ministry in a released statement. These airstrikes coincided with drone attacks originating from Idlib and western rural Aleppo, described by the ministry as being conducted by “terrorist organizations” targeting civilians in Aleppo and its surroundings.
However, the ministry did not provide a specific death toll or clarify whether the casualties were caused by the Israeli airstrikes or the attacks by militant groups.
“The aggression resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of civilians and military personnel and caused material losses to public and private property,” the statement said.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the matter.
Israel has escalated its strikes on what it claims are bases of Iranian-backed militia in Syria since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and soldiers. These strikes have also targeted Syrian army air defenses and some Syrian forces.
Israel has conducted such attacks in Syria for years, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.
Fighters allied with Iran, including Hezbollah, now exert influence in vast areas of eastern, southern, and northwestern Syria, as well as in several suburbs around the capital.
Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in cross-border fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the outbreak of conflict in Gaza, marking the most significant escalation since their month-long conflict in 2006.
