Video Shows Fireball as Israel Strikes Syrian Capital
March 13, 2025
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Israel’s armed forces have released a video showing a fireball and billowing smoke from an air strike they said targeted a command center of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group in the Syrian capital Damascus.
Why It Matters
The attack comes at a time of increasing strain between Syria and Israel, which has intensified military operations in the country and advanced troops into southern Syria, adding another dynamic to the conflicts in the region with fragile ceasefires between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and Israel and Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
What To Know
“Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked a terror command center of the terror organization PIJ in the Damascus area, from which the organization’s terror operations were planned and managed,” the Israel Defense Force (IDF) stated on X.
The attack took place in the city of Dummar in the Damascus suburbs. Rescuers from the White Helmet team rushed to put out the fires and save trapped people from the targeted site, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K. based rights group, which reported at least one casualty.
Syria’s news agency Sana reported at least three people wounded in the attack, northwest of the capital Damascus.
Mohamed Al-Haj Moussa, a spokesperson for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said the building was empty “not a command center for the group like the enemy claims,” the Yemeni news website Almasirah reported.
Israel’s Air Force said it had attacked a Palestinian terrorist headquarters in Syria’s capital Damascus Israel’s Air Force said it had attacked a Palestinian terrorist headquarters in Syria’s capital Damascus Screengrab from IDF video
Since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December, 2024 by rebel fighters of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Israeli army has pushed troops further into parts of southern Syria and launched hundreds of airstrikes, citing the need to secure its borders from armed groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel has no intention of withdrawing from southern parts of Syria for the time being.
The United Nations has voiced concern about the Israeli airstrikes in Syria and urged the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the demilitarized zone in the strategically important Golan Heights. Israel seized control of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the region in 1981.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report that it had documented 27 Israeli attacks in 2025, mostly airstrikes targeting military and strategic facilities across Syria, including buildings and weapon warehouses, killing eight people, mainly military officials, the monitor group said.
Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa condemned Israeli “aggressions” on Syrian territory while speaking at an Arab leaders Summit in Cairo earlier in March, calling for a united stance against them.
What People Are Saying
Israeli Defense Forces: “The IDF will not allow terrorist organizations to establish themselves in Syrian territory and operate against the State of Israel and will act with force against any such establishment.”
Syrian News Agency SANA: “Israeli occupation aircraft launched an aggression against the capital, Damascus, on Thursday.”
What Happens Next
The situation may escalate further, with increased military confrontations and heightened diplomatic tensions, potentially drawing in more international actors.
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