Israeli Warplanes Pound Damascus Countryside as Syrian Capital Hosts International Fair
Israeli warplanes strike Damascus countryside near site of International Fair, SOHR reports. Targets included military sites in al-Kiswah and Deir Ali, just 10km from the fairgrounds.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Three Israeli warplanes carried out a series of strikes on Wednesday targeting military sites in the Damascus countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed to Kurdistan24. The attacks came as Damascus was hosting the opening of its International Fair, attended by President Farouk al-Sharaa and foreign guests, highlighting the intensity of the strikes near the Syrian capital’s symbolic event.
Rami Abdulrahman, director of the UK-based SOHR, told Kurdistan24 that the Israeli jets launched around ten airstrikes, focusing on Jabal al-Mana near Harjala in the al-Kiswah area and the Druze village of Deir Ali in southern Rif Damascus. A helicopter was also reported flying in the area during the bombardment.
The targeted locations lie only about 10 kilometers from the Damascus International Fairgrounds, where official delegations and President al-Sharaa had just arrived. No confirmed details have yet emerged regarding the extent of casualties or material losses.
The attack comes a day after an explosion killed four Syrian soldiers and wounded four others in the town of Kiswa, southwest of the capital. The blast, reported on Tuesday, struck positions belonging to the 44th Division of the Syrian Army, including at least one officer, according to SOHR.
Although no side officially claimed responsibility for the explosion, eyewitnesses and monitoring groups reported Israeli drones operating over Rif Damascus at the time. The incident occurred hours after Syrian state media reported that
an Israeli strike in Quneitra killed one man, sparking strong condemnation from Damascus. Syria’s foreign ministry denounced the Quneitra attack as a “flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter”, also condemning the
reported incursion of Israeli forces into nearby towns, the arrest of civilians, and the continued military presence on Mount Hermon and the buffer zone.
“These aggressive practices constitute a direct threat to peace and security in the region,” the ministry said in a statement carried by state media.
The strikes near the International Fair are the latest in a series of Israeli military escalations against regime sites. On July 16, 2025, Israeli air raids struck Damascus’s General Staff Headquarters and the Presidential Palace, rattling Umayyad Square in the heart of the capital.
According to SANA, at least 13 people were injured in those attacks, which inflicted severe destruction on the military headquarters located in one of the most fortified zones of Damascus.
Reuters reported that fatalities occurred inside Syria’s Ministry of Defense, while Israeli Channel 12 said the strikes deliberately targeted the Presidential Palace and General Staff Headquarters. One of the blasts landed close to the presidential compound, a symbolic escalation underscoring Israel’s intent to directly challenge the regime’s centers of power.
Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, targeting regime and Iranian-linked positions. In addition to air raids, Israel has engaged in talks with interim authorities in Damascus, even as it expands its military campaign.
The latest wave of attacks—striking within 10 kilometers of an international event attended by senior leadership—marks a new phase in Israel’s operations, raising questions about both the security of the Syrian capital and the future trajectory of regional confrontations.mo
