SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — At least 12 members of pro-Iranian militias were killed in an Israeli air strike on a site in Hayyan, northern Aleppo, early Monday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The strike, targeting a copper factory, triggered successive explosions which also resulted in the injury of several others.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that “the Israeli enemy conducted an aerial assault from the southeast of Aleppo, targeting several locations in its vicinity. This aggression resulted in a rise in casualties and inflicted material damage.”
Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes on Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war, primarily targeting military positions and Iran-backed fighters, including those affiliated with Hezbollah.
Although Israel rarely discusses specific strikes in Syria, it has consistently stated its opposition to Iran’s expansion in the region and has vowed to prevent it.
The number of these strikes has increased notably since Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip began on October 7th. This escalation followed an unprecedented attack by Hamas against Israel.
Since its onset in 2011, Syria’s civil war has resulted in the deaths of over half a million people and displaced millions more. The conflict began when the Syrian government violently suppressed anti-government protests in Damascus.
