The Israel Defense Forces announced on Tuesday the death of the liaison between the terrorist group Hezbollah and the Syrian Army, identified as Salman Nimr Jamaa, in an airstrike in Damascus.
"The Syrian regime supports Hezbollah and allows the organisation to exploit it to transfer weapons to the Lebanese territory, thereby endangering the citizens of Syria and Lebanon," the Israeli forces said in a statement.
The attack comes amid an offensive by Syrian jihadist rebels against the government of Bashar al-Assad.
The Israel Defense Forces accused Jamaa of having strengthened ties between the Syrian military and the Shiite terrorist group, an ally of Iran and part of the so-called "Axis of Resistance," which also includes pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Yemen.
“Jamaa was considered an important and influential figure in Syria, so his elimination represents a blow to Hezbollah's relationship and position. in Syria and contributes to preventing its growth,” the statement said.
During its escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel has also bombed crossings into Syrian territory and positions of the terrorist group in the country, accusing Syrian authorities of facilitating the transfer of weapons from Iran to the Lebanese militia.
On Sunday, the IDF ordered an Iranian plane suspected of transporting weapons for the Shiite terrorist group to leave Syrian airspace, a gesture that has been repeated in recent months in Syrian and Iraqi skies, according to military sources.
At the same time, the Levant Liberation Organization, formerly the Nusra Front, a former affiliate of Al Qaeda in Syria, together with pro-Turkish factions, On Wednesday, the Syrian government launched a major offensive against the Syrian army in the northeast of the country, taking complete control of Idlib and most of Aleppo, some 340 kilometres north of Damascus.
The alliance is trying to advance southwards towards Hama, while the Syrian Army, supported by Russian air forces, has been bombing its positions and settlements since the beginning of the offensive in an attempt to stop its advance, while it claims to be preparing a counterattack to recover the areas conquered by the jihadists.
At least 514 people have been killed since the start of the insurgent offensive on November 27, including 92 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the United Kingdom and with a wide network of collaborators both in Damascus-controlled territory and in opposition areas.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article.