After an unusual attack in Syria last night (Wednesday), reportedly carried out by the Air Force – the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition organization to the Assad regime operating from London, updates that the death toll has risen to 68.
According to the report, 42 of the dead are members of pro-Iranian militias with Syrian citizenship, 22 are non-Syrian citizens, most of them from the Iraqi al-Nujaba militia, and four others are members of Hezbollah. Additionally, 43 people were reported injured, including 7 civilians.
Additionally, the Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a condemnation against Israel: "Syria condemns the barbaric attack on the city of Palmyra, which reflects the ongoing crimes of the Zionists against the countries of the region and their peoples."
The city, which sits on the ruins of the ancient city of Thamud (Palmyra in Greek), is located in the middle of the Syrian desert. Apparently, the target that was attacked is a weapons storage facility of the pro-Iranian militias, who exploit the great distance from Israel to organize. In the past year and a half, Iranian militias have launched hundreds of drones towards Israeli territory, some of which were intercepted within Israeli territory.
This is a very unusual attack because Israel does not usually target these areas. An attack of this kind was attributed to Israel in 2020. Usually, the attacks are concentrated in areas close to the border: Damascus, Homs, and northern Syria. The attacks on the Iraq border are usually carried out by the U.S., which has bases in the area. The area in the middle of Syria is quite desolate, and it is now being attacked probably because of the drone fire to the north and east.
