Israeli drones carried out several airstrikes on Syrian army positions in the Damascus countryside, southern Syria, on Wednesday, August 27, with no casualties reported.
A military commander in the area told Enab Baladi that Israeli drones launched six strikes targeting positions in Jabal al-Mani and the village of Harjalah (south of Damascus).
The commander, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak, said the strikes hit the same locations targeted by Israeli aircraft the previous day, which killed six Defense Ministry personnel. He added that vehicles were present at the targeted sites.
The drones were hovering over the area at the time, with no confirmation of additional casualties.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Damascus reported explosions around the city of al-Kiswah (southwest of Damascus), along with low-altitude Israeli flights over several areas of the capital.
The state-run al-Ikhbariya channel also reported that Israeli aircraft struck sites near al-Kiswah.
Previous strike
The state-run al-Ikhbariya channel reported Wednesday that six Syrian army personnel were killed in Israeli drone strikes near al-Kiswah on Tuesday.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement Wednesday condemning the “aggression,” describing it as a “serious violation of international law and the UN Charter,” and a “blatant breach of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The statement reaffirmed Syria’s “legitimate right to defend its land and people in accordance with international law,” and called on the international community and the UN Security Council to assume their “legal and moral responsibilities” in stopping these “repeated aggressions” and compelling Israel to halt its violations against “Syria, its people, and national institutions.”
The sequence of events began with a landmine explosion at a Syrian army post in the Damascus countryside, followed by Israeli drone strikes that prevented the evacuation of the wounded and retrieval of the dead, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent.
On Tuesday, two Syrian military sources told Enab Baladi that four personnel were killed and at least three wounded in the mine explosion at Jabal al-Mani, near the towns of Deir Ali and Harjalah. A third source, however, said the fatalities were caused by the Israeli strikes.
The incident occurred during tank training exercises in the area when a vehicle drove into a minefield, one of the sources said.
A recurring target
Jabal al-Mani, which hosts a Syrian military base, has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli strikes both before and after the fall of the Assad regime.
The mountain was home to the 76th Air Defense Brigade, part of the 1st Division of the former Syrian army, which used it to shell opposition-held areas in western Damascus during past battles.
On February 8, Israel announced that its air force had carried out strikes in Syria targeting a Hamas weapons depot in Deir Ali (south of Damascus).
At the time, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that the depot contained weapons “intended for terrorist attacks against Israel Defense Forces.”
On November 24, 2020, Israeli warplanes struck the Jabal al-Mani area, causing material damage.
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