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Islamic Jihad claims Israel targeted senior official in Damascus

Official’s son reported to be dead in strike on house in Syrian capital; Palestinian terrorist group blames “Zionist criminal entity.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad claims that this house in western Damascus, Syria, was damaged by an Israeli strike against one of its officials on Nov. 12, 2019. Credit: Syrian Arab News Agency SANA.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad claims that this house in western Damascus, Syria, was damaged by an Israeli strike against one of its officials on Nov. 12, 2019. Credit: Syrian Arab News Agency SANA.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group announced on Tuesday that Israel had attacked the home of one of its officials in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing one of his sons, reported Reuters.

Syrian state media had previously reported that at least two were killed and six wounded in the strike.

According to Reuters, Islamic Jihad released a statement naming the targeted official as Akram al-Ajouri and blaming “the Zionist criminal enemy” for the strike.

The house was reportedly situated in western Damascus, near the Lebanese embassy in Mezzah, and in an area that houses many other embassies, as well as Damascus University.

Israel has reportedly carried out numerous attacks in Syria in recent years.

“It can’t just be business as usual,” Evan R. Bernstein told JNS. “We’re not done yet.”
Abd al-Rahman intended to carry out the attack “in the immediate time frame.”
The Charedi Public Party says it will protect full-time Torah study while supporting military or national service for ultra-Orthodox men who are not studying in yeshivahs, address math and English instruction in haredi schools.
Hezbollah has been weakened, the Houthis grow in confidence, the militias in Iraq are under pressure and pro-Iranian cells are trying to regain a foothold in Syria. At the same time, tensions between Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have come into the open. Tehran is trying to rebuild its proxy network and adapt it to a new reality.