https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/19/israeli-raids-kill-five-in-syrias-damascus-report
A recent attack in Damascus on Sunday morning has left at least five killed, and 15 wounded. Damascus, the capital of Syria, was subject to a proposed Israeli raid in which air strikes struck a densely populated area near the heart of the city. The strikes, by unnamed syrian military sources, were claimed to have been stray rockets missed by the syrian anti-aircraft system, and hit multiple other locations near the capital, although no reports have been made on casualties. This is allegedly the second reported air strike within a month from Israel, with the other striking the Damascus International Airport killing four people, two of which soldiers.
According to the head of the Syrian Observatory for the Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, this recent strike has been the deadliest attack from the Israeli on the Syrian capital. The attacks, a seemingly common occurrence from Israel, were said to have been “crimes against humanity” by the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. The spark for this attack has been seen nothing less than an utterly low blow from Israel, as the country, along with Turkey, is just starting to recover from the devastating earthquake that has made its way through the region. Syria, though the lesser of the two states in numbers, has lost over 5,800 hundred people in the wake, and even Syria’s close allies Iran and Russia claim that the attacks threatened regional stability.
Israel, a growing threat within the shatterbelt region that is the middle east, seems to continuously be making advances in stirring the pot that might lead to a breakout conflict, if not war. This recent strike has shown not only the Syrian government, but also its allies, that Israel is not one to refrain from targeting not only the military, but also civilians. The ramifications that come along with targeting civilians not only increases the chance of conflict or war, but also further intervention from allied countries. If the region’s stability is continuously tested by countries such as Israel, it wont be entirely surprising to see countries start forming alliances, and bring in help when tensions escalate.