On Monday, Syrian state media acknowledged the death of “a number of Iranian advisers” in a reported Israeli attack south of the capital, marking a rare admission by Damascus of Iranian casualties in strikes attributed to Israel on Syrian territory.
The report also mentioned civilian casualties without providing specific numbers. Contrary to this, Iran’s ambassador to Syria had earlier stated that there were no Iranian casualties in the attack.
According to a war monitor, seven individuals lost their lives in the assault. Syria’s official state media agency, SANA, attributed the strikes to the “Zionist enemy,” alleging that multiple attacks originated from the Golan Heights toward the Syrian capital. The Times of Israel reported this development on Monday.
The Syrian military, in a statement, confirmed Israeli missiles striking “some points south of Damascus,” resulting in casualties among civilians.
The strike, reportedly hitting the area of Sayida Zeinab, was mentioned by the pro-government Dama Post without providing additional details. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor linked to the opposition, reported a death toll of seven, including Iranians.
Rami Abdel Rahman, director of SOHR, stated that Israeli strikes targeted a base used by Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, leading to the death of seven people, including four Syrians.
The nationalities of the others were not specified, and it remained unclear whether civilians were among the casualties. A source in Iran’s regional alliance also said that the strike targeted a location utilized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, described by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as an Iranian military advisory center in Syria.
An official from one of the Iranian-backed groups, speaking anonymously due to a lack of authorization to discuss military activities, stated that two Syrian citizens were killed in the strike, clarifying that no Hezbollah members were harmed.
The Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment on the explosions, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) typically refrains from confirming or denying alleged strikes in Syria.
