Responsible for launching drones towards the occupied Syrian Golan | “Al-Khafaji” killed in new Israel attack in Al-Sayyida Zainab area
Reliable SOHR source confirmed that the leader assassinated by Israeli drone this dawn, after targeting his car with a precision missile near Al-Sayyida Zainab area in southern Damascus, was a commander in the Iraqi Hezbollah called “Mohammad Ali Al-Khafaji” and nicknamed “Abu Haydar.” “Al-Khafaji” was in his forties and hailed from Aoun district near Karbala city in Iraq.
The Iraqi commander was responsible for launching drones from the Syrian desert toward the occupied Syrian Golan. He was targeted while he was on his way to a rest house he owned, near his military headquarters on the road between Al-Sayyida Zainab and Damascus international airport, where the attack led to his death and the injury of his escort.
It is worth noting that the area hosts several military headquarters belonging to the Iraqi, Lebanese and Syrian Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militias, and it is considered as a suburb in southern Damascus, similar to Janoub Beirut suburb (the southern suburb of Beirut); this means that it is a main stronghold for Iranian-backed militias.
Thousands of fighters affiliated with Iranian-backed militias are deployed in that area which they have controlled, and they dominated many farms and houses either by renting or seizing them.
It is worth noting that the official media outlets affiliated with the Syrian regime and the Ministry of Defence did not mention the news of targeting the commander who was assassinated at 05:00 am today. This is not the first time for the regime to keep silent about Israel’s assassination of prominent leaders in Iranian-backed militias in that area, which has become more akin to an area outside the regime’s control. The Syrian regime adopted similar stance following attacks in Masyaf, Daraa and Damascus-Beirut highway.
Earlier today, SOHR sources reported that a commander in the Iraqi Hezbollah was killed and his escort was injured in an attack carried out by a drone believed to be Israeli, targeting his car on the road to Damascus international airport.
The car was seen catching fire on 05:00 am, while ambulances hurried to the site of the car which is located a few kilometres away from Sayeda Zeinab area.
The targeted commander had military headquarters and a rest house in the region.
SOHR sources also confirmed that they did not hear loud explosions in that region today, such as those caused by raids by Israeli fighter jets; this proves that the attack was carried out with an accurate missile.
SOHR documented 67 attacks in 2024: 50 airstrikes and 17 rocket attacks by ground forces, during which Israel targeted several positions in Syria, destroying nearly 142 targets, including buildings, weapons and ammunitions warehouses, headquarters, centres and vehicles. These strikes killed 211 combatants and injured 144 others. The fatalities are distributed as follows:
- 24 Iranian members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- 43 members of the Lebanese Hezbollah.
- 19 Iraqi persons.
- 59 Iranian-backed Syrian militiamen.
- 17 Iranian-backed non-Syrian militiamen.
- 46 regime soldiers.
- Three unidentified persons.
In addition, those attacks left 23 civilians, including a little girl and three women, dead and nearly 36 other civilians injured.
It is worth noting that one of those attacks killed Baraa Al-Qaterji, a prominent businessman close to Iranians, and his cousin.
The attacks are distributed regionally as follows:
- Damascus and Rif Dimashq: 25 attacks.
- Daraa: 16 attacks.
- Homs: Ten attacks.
- Al-Quneitra: Eight attacks.
- Tartus: Three attack.
- Deir Ezzor: One attack.
- Aleppo: Two attacks.
- Hama: Four attacks.
SOHR would like to point out that Israel sometimes targeted more than one province in a single attack.