Increase in the number of casualties in Israeli airstrikes on the Damascus countryside

SadaNews - The Syrian news channel reported today, Wednesday, an increase in the number of casualties among the Syrian army due to Israeli drone strikes near the city of Al-Kisweh in the Damascus countryside to 6, following airstrikes carried out yesterday afternoon, Tuesday.

Al-Jazeera's correspondent reported that an Israeli drone targeted soldiers inside a battalion belonging to the Syrian army in the Harjalah area near Al-Kisweh, followed by an Israeli strike on a civil defense team that attempted to rescue the injured, resulting in additional casualties.

Local sources stated that the Israeli airstrikes occurred during tank training exercises at a Syrian military site and were accompanied by the sounds of explosions in the neighboring areas of Al-Matlalah and Tel Al-Mani due to the detonation of remnants of war.

For its part, the French Press Agency quoted a Syrian Defense Ministry official saying that an Israeli drone targeted one of the military residences belonging to Brigade 44 in the Harjalah area of Al-Kisweh in the western Damascus countryside.

Repeated assaults

This escalation comes after one person was killed on Tuesday due to an Israeli bombing that targeted a house in the village of Tarinjah in the northern Quneitra countryside, according to the Syrian news agency (SANA).

The Israeli army also infiltrated the town of Swissa in southern Quneitra early Tuesday and arrested a young man, amid local residents resisting the incursion.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the recent Israeli attacks in a statement and denounced the incursion of Israeli forces into the town in Quneitra countryside.

The ministry also condemned the Israeli forces' raiding of civilians' homes and announced its continuation of the unlawful presence at the summit of Mount Sheikh and in the buffer zone.

For the past seven months, the Israeli army has occupied Mount Sheikh and a 15-kilometer security strip in some areas of southern Syria.

Both sides are engaged in negotiations under American auspices in an attempt to reduce escalation. Last week, Foreign Minister As'ad Al-Shaibani met with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer for the second time in Paris.

SANA reported that discussions are being held "as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in Syria and preserving its territorial integrity and safety.”

Source: Syrian Press + Agencies