Two suspected Hezbollah members killed in Israeli drone strike in Syria

9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least two suspected members of the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah have been killed in a bombing carried out on Tuesday by an Israeli army drone near the Syrian capital Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The London-based agency, which has informants in the Asian country, said the attack hit a vehicle as it passed near a military checkpoint in the Jdeidet Yabus area, on the highway connecting Damascus to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, adding that a third person had been wounded.

The attack took place hours after Damascus denounced an Israeli bombardment of the outskirts of the town of Baniyas, in the province of Tartus (west). The Observatory said that the target was two buildings, including one used by a Syrian battalion.

The agency said the target was a shipment of precision weapons delivered to pro-Iranian militias present in the area and noted that the bombings had caused “significant” material damage, although it did not comment on the possibility of there being victims.

Israeli authorities have acknowledged the attacks in Syria, saying they are acting to prevent the establishment of Iranian bases and the sending of weapons to Hezbollah by Tehran, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the war that broke out in 2011 after the violent repression of pro-democracy demonstrations during the “Arab Spring.”