Israeli Strike on Damascus Kills 3, Including TV Anchor, Syrian State Media Reports

Safaa Ahmed, a prominent Syrian television anchor, was killed in an overnight Israeli strike on Damascus along with two others, according to a report by the Syrian state news agency SANA.

SANA announced that Safaa Ahmed died as a result of what it called a “treacherous Israeli aggression on the capital, Damascus.”

The Syrian defense ministry reported that the Israeli attack, involving drones and planes, occurred around 2 a.m. local time from the direction of the Golan Heights, which Israel occupies.

The ministry claimed that its air defense systems engaged the attacking missiles and drones, managing to intercept most of them. However, the strike resulted in three civilian deaths and injuries to nine others.

Social media videos, which CNN geolocated, indicate that an explosion occurred near Syria’s Telecom building, located west of the city’s military airport. Another video showed a car ablaze following the explosion.

It remains unclear if Ahmed and the other casualties were at this specific location when they were killed; SANA did not provide details on the exact location of their deaths.

When approached for comments on these reports, the Israeli military did not provide a statement, maintaining their policy of not commenting on foreign media reports.

For context, Israel has intermittently conducted airstrikes in Syria since the attacks by Hamas on October 7 of the previous year, typically without confirming these operations.