ALBAWABA - The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that an Israeli strike on the Syrian capital Damascus killed at least three people and injured nine others.
SANA also reported that its anchor, Safaa Ahmad, was killed in "treacherous Israeli aggression" targeting a civilian neighborhood in Al Mazzeh, Damascus.
Social media footage appeared to show a car engulfed in flames on a roadway bordered by apartment buildings. It was unclear if the TV presenter was one of the three civilian victims mentioned by official media.
Local reports also added that senior officials were the target behind the Israeli strikes on the Syrian capital.
"At about 2:05 am on Tuesday morning the Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression with military aircraft and drones from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a number of points in the city of Damascus," a Syrian military official said in a statement.
Following explosions reported in the city, Syrian air defenses intercepted "hostile targets" over the region of Damascus three times in a single night, according to official media early on Tuesday.
The Israeli military stated that it does not comment on anything reported on by international media when questioned about the alleged strike.
An explosion was heard in the same area on Sunday, according to SANA, which also stated that an investigation was underway to determine the reason. The investigation's findings have not yet been made public.
The Israeli army declared in a statement early Tuesday that it has begun a military ground operation in southern Lebanon.
A military statement said that "in accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF (army) began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon".
The statement added that "operation ‘Northern Arrows’ will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas".
