Israeli fighter jets launched an aerial attack targeting a number of buildings in Palmyra city (Tadmur) in central Syria on Wednesday, November 20. At least 36 people were killed and 50 others injured in the attack according to the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA. The attack also caused significant material damage to the buildings and the surrounding area.
Media reports indicated that Israeli warplanes launched a number of missiles towards Palmyra from the airspace of the US base in the Al-Tanf area located on the common borders between Syria, Iraq and Jordan.
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Wednesday, condemning the attack and stressing that the Israeli crimes committed in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine “pose a real threat to the security and stability of the region”.
The statement also criticized the United Nations Security Council for its dependence on the decision of one state when it comes to taking actions to stop such crimes, referring to the United States and its veto.
From the ministry’s point of view, this dependence undermines the council’s “credibility in maintaining international peace and security”. The ministry’s criticism of the UN security council came after the US vetoed a proposed resolution for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for the fifth time on Wednesday.
The ministry’s statement also called on “all countries of the world to take a firm stance to stop the atrocious massacres committed by the occupying entity in the region and hold its leaders accountable for their crimes and aggression and ensure that they do not escape punishment.”
Since the war started in Syria in 2011, Western countries intervened in the conflict to support armed groups fight the Syrian government. Israel has also launched hundreds of airstrikes ever since, on the pretext of targeting facilities run by Hezbollah and Iran in Syria. However, on many occasions, Israel struck residential buildings killing dozens of civilians. In the aftermath of October 7, Israel intensified its airstrikes across Syria claiming the lives of dozens of civilians including children and women, while still using the targeting of Hezbollah and Iranian sites inside Syria as a justification.
For more than 13 years, Israel’s non-stop aggression on Syria has been accompanied by the military presence of regional and international actors on Syrian territory including the US and Türkiye.
The US has officially had troops in Syria since 2014, with the supposed aim to fight the Islamic State group and prevent its resurgence, support its Kurdish allies, and contain the influence of Iran and Russia on the West Asia region.
