Israeli air strikes target the Syrian city of Aleppo as regional tensions escalate News of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Syrian Ministry of Defense said that the “air aggression” came from the Mediterranean Sea and hit a number of places.

Israel targeted Iranian military sites in the Syrian city of Aleppo with an air strike, causing some material damage, according to the Syrian Ministry of Defense.

The statement said on Saturday that Israel carried out an air attack from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, targeting a number of points south of the city of Aleppo.

Syrian official media, citing a military source, said that “the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack… targeting a number of points south of the city of Aleppo” at around 5:20 pm (14:20 GMT) on Saturday.

The pro-government Sham FM radio said that the attacks occurred near Aleppo airport, but did not cause damage.

Ali Hashem, Al Jazeera's correspondent from Naqoura in southern Lebanon, said: “It appears that these attacks in Aleppo were carried out from the sea.”

He added, “The warplanes were present over the Mediterranean Sea when they fired missiles toward several targets in the city of Aleppo.”

During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iranian-backed forces including Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions.

But Israel has intensified its attacks since it began its military operation in Gaza on October 7, leading to tensions across the Middle East.

Hashem said that the Aleppo attack “was not unprecedented.”

“On several occasions, there were attacks on Aleppo, on Damascus, and yesterday [Friday] “There was an attack on Albukamal, an area on the border between Syria and Iraq.”

He added: “This appears to be part of a pattern, because the group linked to Albukamal was linked to the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who was killed in Damascus just days ago.”

On Monday, an Israeli airstrike outside the Syrian capital, Damascus, killed a senior adviser to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Mr. Radhi Mousavi was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran.

Revenge on the Israeli-Lebanese border

The attack on Aleppo came after another Israeli air strike on a border town in southern Lebanon earlier on Saturday.

Al Jazeera's Hashem reported that the attack came after the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group claimed responsibility for three attacks on Israeli military bases on the border.

He added: “There were several Israeli air strikes, most of them on the town of Bint Jbeil… According to reports, there were no casualties.”

“Another town closer to the Israeli border was subjected to an Israeli attack in a residential area. “This increases the risk of civilian casualties on a daily basis.”

Israel and Hezbollah, along with a handful of smaller armed groups operating in southern Lebanon, have settled into a steady rhythm of back-and-forth exchanges since the start of the Gaza offensive.

At least 21,672 Palestinians, most of them women and children, were killed in Gaza during the nearly three-month-long Israeli operation, which also displaced nearly 2.3 million of the Strip's residents.

The attacks in Syria and Lebanon also come amid fears that the Israeli war in Gaza could expand into a broader regional conflict.