Latest Stories from the Middle East: Israeli Airstrikes on Syria Continue Despite Ongoing Indirect Talks and Update on Gaza War
SYRIA – These are the latest stories from the Middle East: Israel carried out airstrikes on Syria targeting northwestern parts in Lattakia and Tartus in what IDF claimed were missile storage facilities. The airstrikes resulted to property damage and one death, according to local media reports.
An Israeli military statement said it “targeted components of surface-to-air missiles and weapon storage facilities containing coastal missiles,” on claims that those targets “posed a threat to international and Israeli maritime freedom of navigation.”
Israeli warplanes carried out three airstrikes targeting sites in the countryside of Lattakia and Tartus, according to the Syrian state news agency, SANA
One civilian was killed in the strikes that targeted an area between the villages of Zama and Burj Islam in southern Latakia, while another targeted the outskirts of Tartus port, causing property damage.
Israel has attacked sites in Syria multiple times since the ouster of former regime leader Bashar al-Assad in December.
The bombing somewhat subsided in recent weeks, and according to Israeli media, the latest attack was the first since May 3.
Israel has also occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967.
Syrian authorities have yet to comment on the latest Israeli airstrikes.
The Israeli airstrikes come amid efforts to develop Syrian-American relations, as the US recently announced the lifting of sanctions against Syria and named Thomas Barrack as Special Envoy to Syria.
Update on Gaza War: At Least 8 Palestinians Killed Trying to Reach US-Backed Aid-Distribution Center
At least eight Palestinians were killed on Saturday as Israel’s onslaught on Gaza continues, medical sources said.
The sources told Anadolu that among the victims were three Palestinians who were shot dead while trying to reach a US-backed aid distribution point in western Rafah.
Since March 2, Israel has kept all border crossings shut, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave’s more than 2 million population.
Over 250,000 Palestinians Forcefully Displaced by Israel in Jabalia, Northern Gaza
The Israeli army has forcibly displaced more than 250,000 Palestinians from the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip to so-called “humanitarian zones,” according to a report Friday by the Hebrew news site, Walla.
The outlet cited unnamed security officials who said the mass displacement, part of the military’s “Gideon’s Chariots” operation, is to “prevent Palestinian fighters from returning to underground and above-ground infrastructure.”
While Walla did not specify the “humanitarian zone” locations, Israel previously designated coastal areas between Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah as those places, despite carrying out deadly strikes there that killed hundreds of displaced civilians in recent months.
The report suggested the army’s operation could last months, with plans for the “complete evacuation of Gaza’s population from combat zones to southern areas” while maintaining permanent military occupation of captured territories.
Israeli media, including the Haaretz newspaper, revealed a plan on May 22 to take control of 75% of Gaza in the next two months.
Many Palestinians had forcibly left areas in northern Gaza toward Gaza City’s western areas, according to Anadolu reporting, where the Israeli army is intensifying deadly attacks, and banning the entry of aid to northern Gaza, exacerbating famine risks.
