At least three people were killed in a strike attributed to Israel, on the area of Sayyida Zaynab, south of the capital, Damascus, the UK-based Observatory for Human Rights said. Syrian media reported two killed and one injured soldier on Wednesday in the attack. According to the Syrian opposition "Voice of the Capital" website, the targeted facility housed pro-Iranian militias including Hezbollah officials, and was used as a weapons depot as well as a rendezvous location.
"Israel conducted an airstrike on several points in the southern region," The Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement. "Air defenses intercepted Israeli missiles and shot down some of them. The attack resulted in the deaths of two individuals, injuries to a soldier, and material damage."
Last week, Syria said Israel struck military sites around Qunitra and Daraa in the south of the country. "An officer was killed, and damage was done to the site." Saudi Arabia's Asharq Al-Awsat reported a number of days before that attack that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group had begun instructing its operatives to avoid using mobile phones within Syrian territory.
The article claimed that Hezbollah was exercising extra caution concerning deployment and movement between its bases on the Syria-Lebanon border, following recent Israeli attacks on Syria.
Diplomatic sources and officials in the region told the Reuters news agency that Israel increased its covert attacks in Syria against weapon depots, supply routes, pro-Iran militias and Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders in advance of a possible war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Three sources said that on June 2, 18 people were killed, including an IRGC advisor, in an attack on a secret arms depot near Aleppo in Syria.