Near Sinwar’s mourning gathering: Explosion in Damascus kills one; initial reports suggest Israeli assassination
Shafaq News/ A vehicle explosion in the Mazzeh area of the Syrian capital killed one person, with initial information suggesting it was an assassination carried out by Israel using a guided missile, Syrian media reported on Monday.
An official in Damascus told the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, "The explosion resulted from an aggression targeting the Eastern Roundabout near the Golden Mazzeh Hotel, igniting a vehicle in front of the hotel."
Syrian sources indicated that “the vehicle was targeted near a mourning gathering for Hamas Political Bureau Chief Yahya Sinwar,” who was killed by Israel a few days ago.
Additionally, the Sputnik news agency reported, “The individual targeted in the Israeli attack in Damascus had just left the mourning gathering,” adding, "Information suggests the Israeli strike was conducted using a guided missile launched by an Israeli aircraft from Lebanese airspace."
Correspondents reported one person was killed in the targeted vehicle. However, the person's identity and whether they were the intended target of the explosion remain unknown.
The Syrian Observatory also noted, “This marks the fourth assassination in the Mazzeh neighborhood this month.”
The explosion comes amid heightened regional tensions due to the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon.
Since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, targeting Iranian-backed forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as well as positions of the Syrian army.
