Israeli missile strikes building in central Damascus, several casualties By Reuters

AMMAN (Reuters) – An Israeli rocket strike hit a building in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood of central Damascus early on Sunday, near a large security complex close to Iranian installations, witnesses and an official source said.

The strike damaged several buildings in the densely populated district close to Omayyad square in the heart of the capital, where multi-storey security buildings are located within residential areas.

A police official said on state media that there were several casualties and injured.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined comment.

For almost a decade, Israel has been carrying out air strikes against suspected Iranian-sponsored weapons transfers and personnel deployments in next-door Syria. Israeli officials have rarely acknowledged responsibility for specific operations.

Iran has expanded its military presence in Syria in recent years and has a foothold in most state-controlled areas, with thousands of members of militias and local paramilitary groups under its command, Western intelligence sources say.

Israel has also in recent months intensified strikes on Syrian airports and air bases to disrupt Iran’s increasing use of aerial supply lines to deliver arms to allies in Syria and Lebanon, including Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah.