Israel strikes 'Hezbollah intelligence' sites in Damascus

Syria’s state news agency reported an Israeli airstrike on a southern suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus, saying it caused material damage but not casualties.

SANA says the Monday airstrike hit near the suburb of Sayida Zeinab. Iran-backed groups are active in the area south of the capital, which is home to a holy Shiite Muslim shrine.

The Israeli military said the air force struck Hezbollah targets belonging to the group’s intelligence headquarters in Syria.

The Israeli army claimed in a statement that the target hit was Hezbollah’s central intelligence body, responsible for intelligence assessments, the direction of intelligence activities, and the intelligence gathering and detection capabilities.

The military said the body was led by Mahmoud Mohammad Shaheen, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb last month.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.