Israeli airstrikes kill 5 in Damascus

Beirut, February 19

Israeli airstrikes targeted a residential area in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, killing at least five persons and wounding 15, Syrian state news reported.

‘Pump brakes’

• The US envoy to Israel said PM Netanyahu should pump the breaks on a contentious judicial overhaul
• He said the overhaul makes it harder for the US to help Israel promote ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran

Loud explosions were heard over a central area of the capital around 12.30 am local time, and SANA reported that Syrian air defences were “confronting hostile targets in the sky around Damascus.” Syrian state media agency SANA, citing a military source, reported that five people had been killed, among them a soldier, and 15 civilians wounded, along with “destruction of a number of residential buildings.” The news agency also reported that the strikes had damaged buildings connected to a medieval citadel in central Damascus and an applied arts institute housed there.

As per official reports, 15 people, including a woman, were killed in strike. — AP