UPDATE 2 - Israel launches fresh airstrikes in Damascus countryside in Syria

UPDATES WITH ANOTHER STRIKE, REPORTED FLIGHTS IN SKIES OF DAMASCUS

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli warplanes struck several sites near the town of Al-Kiswah in the Damascus countryside in southern Syria on Wednesday evening, local media said.

The state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV reported the news, without giving details about injuries or damage from the strike.

The channel also reported another Israeli airstrike on the same area as well as "intensive" flights by Israeli aircraft in the skies of Damascus.

The attack came a day after airstrikes on the same town killed six Syrian soldiers.

The Israeli army also staged several incursions into the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria, despite international calls for halting violations of Syria’s sovereignty.

Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last December, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems and air defense installations, according to reports.

Israel also expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Ba'ath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.