Near the oasis city of Palmyra

Apparently dozens dead after explosions in Syria

Thick plumes of smoke over Palmyra

(Bild: OSINT)

According to Syrian reports, 36 people have been killed in an attack on the city of Palmyra. Israel is suspected to be behind the attack. The state news agency SANA also reported that more than 50 people were injured in the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights even spoke of 41 dead. The Israeli military did not comment initially. According to activists from the Observatory, the dead included fighters from pro-Iranian militias.

The Israeli air force had attacked three targets in the industrial area in the oasis city. Among them was a warehouse for weapons. It was inhabited by families of pro-Iranian fighters. The state agency reported that the buildings hit were badly damaged.

The UK-based monitoring center had previously reported that the strikes had hit targets near the historic part of the city.

More than 150 attacks since the beginning of the year
Since the beginning of the war in the Middle East more than a year ago, the Israeli army has increasingly attacked targets belonging to Hezbollah and other militias loyal to Iran in Syria. The Observatory has counted more than 150 such attacks since the beginning of the year.

Palmyra in the central Syrian desert is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has already been the scene of heavy fighting in the past. Before the start of the civil war in Syria in March 2011, the site was a popular destination for archaeologists and tourists. In 2015, jihadists from the terrorist organization Islamic State captured the site and destroyed the cultural monuments there before they were driven out of Palmyra in 2017.