Little girl and three Hezbollah fighters" were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Syria, reported France Press, quoted by BTA, citing a non-governmental monitoring organization.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least one military site in the central province of Homs had been hit. Three Syrian fighters of the Lebanese movement "Hezbollah", which is a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, were killed.
Iranian-backed groups, including Hezbollah, have positions in the Syrian province of Homs, the center, which is based in Britain and has a network of sources in Syria, stressed.
These factions have supported President Assad since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011.
The monitoring organization also said a little girl was killed and 20 other civilians were wounded in an Israeli airstrike in the coastal Syrian town of Baniyas in Tartus province.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense confirmed the death of the child. The communique also reported that 10 civilians were injured in Israeli airstrikes on an unspecified target in the center of Banias and a residential building in the city.
Syrian state news agency SANA reported intercepted "enemy targets" in the sky above the city of Homs.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in the neighboring country against its army and pro-Iranian groups supporting Assad, notes AFP. These attacks have increased since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, triggered by an attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement "Hamas" in Israel on October 7.
Israel rarely comments on these airstrikes, but has repeatedly made it clear that it will not allow its archenemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.
Meanwhile, a new campaign by "Hezbollah" of crowdfunding has sparked debate in Lebanon, with critics claiming the terrorist group is forcing citizens to finance a jihad campaign that does not serve the country's interests, Israel's TPS news agency reported, quoted by BTA.
The campaign is called "Jihad al-Mal"; or "jihad through money". Cars of linked to "Hezbollah" organizations go around villages and invite their residents to donate funds for rockets and drones. However, the call is not popular with everyone. Many Lebanese worry that the group is trying to mobilize the Lebanese front for war. According to Lebanese media reports, one student was expelled from school for refusing to make a donation.
Analysts suggest that the fundraising campaign reflects the lack of funds experienced by "Hezbollah" as a result of the conflict. Iran is believed to have reduced its financial support for the terror group out of frustration that daily rocket attacks by "Hezbollah" have not helped "Hamas". At the same time, it is reported that "Hezbollah" spent significant sums on housing and other aid for 90,000 Lebanese in southern Lebanon who were forced from their homes by the fighting.
The campaign is somewhat reminiscent of the call of "Hezbollah" since 2019, when he was fighting in Syria. "Hezbollah" called on the Lebanese public to "shelter a fighter" by providing essential items such as clothing and equipment. In another appeal during the war in Syria, the terrorist group urged the public to "buy a bullet".
About 60,000 Israelis living in the northern municipalities were forced to evacuate in October when the terrorist organization "Hezbollah" began daily missile and drone attacks. Leaders of the Iran-backed terror group said they would continue attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes. In the attacks of "Hezbollah" since October 7, 22 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed.
Representatives of the Israeli authorities call on "Hezbollah" to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War of 2006.