Smoke rises after an explosion following an assault on the historic city of Palmyra, Syria, on November 20, 2024, in a screengrab from a social media video. — Reuters

Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of 71 pro-Iranian militants in the Syrian city of Palmyra, with over a third of them identified as fighters from Iraq and Lebanon, according to a monitoring group on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the casualties from Wednesday's strikes included 45 fighters from pro-Iranian Syrian groups, 26 foreign fighters, predominantly from the Iraqi Al Nujaba movement, and four from Lebanon's Hezbollah armed group. The strikes targeted three locations in the city famous for its ancient ruins, including an attack on a meeting of pro-Iranian groups with leaders from Al Nujaba and Hezbollah.

The observatory, which operates from Britain and relies on a network of sources across Syria, had earlier estimated the death toll from the Israeli strikes on Palmyra at 61. Syria's defense ministry stated that the Israeli strikes on the central city resulted in 36 fatalities and over 50 injuries, marking the latest update on the toll. 'The Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of the Al Tanf area, targeting several buildings in the city of Palmyra,' the ministry announced on Wednesday.

These strikes on Palmyra, a modern city neighboring Greco-Roman ruins, represent the most lethal in Syria since the escalation of cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in late September. In a separate statement, Syria's foreign ministry strongly condemned 'the brutal Israeli aggression against the city of Palmyra, reflecting the ongoing crimes of Zionism against the countries and peoples of the region.'

Israel seldom comments on individual strikes in Syria but has consistently stated that it will not permit Iran to expand its influence in the country. Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was seized and looted by Daesh terrorists during the peak of the Syrian civil war. Nazir Awad, the director-general of Antiquities and Museums in Syria, informed AFP that the city's temples 'did not sustain any direct damage' during the recent strikes. 'We need to conduct a survey on the ground to confirm these observations,' he added.

Source link:   https://www.khaleejtimes.com