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An Israeli airstrike on the Syrian town of Palmyra killed 36 people and injured more than 50 on Wednesday, Syrian state-run media reported.
The SANA news agency said the attack caused “significant material damage to the targeted buildings and surrounding areas.”
Israel frequently targets military sites linked to Iran-backed groups in Syria but rarely acknowledges its strikes. The death toll from this incident is among the highest reported in recent months.
It is unclear whether Palmyra’s ancient Roman ruins, already damaged during the Islamic State group’s occupation, suffered additional harm.
Newsweek reached out to the Israeli military via email for comment.
Ongoing security concerns and lack of funding have delayed efforts to restore the iconic site. The strike comes amid ongoing ceasefire talks between Israel and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, raising questions about Syria’s involvement in the broader regional conflict.
Mikhail Voskresenskiy/AP Photo
Israel Insists on Military Rights Against Hezbollah
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has asserted his country’s right to act militarily against Hezbollah in Lebanon as a condition for any peace agreement.
Katz said Wednesday that “the condition for any political settlement in Lebanon is the preservation of the intelligence capability and the preservation of the (Israeli military’s) right to act and protect the citizens of Israel from Hezbollah.”
This demand complicates efforts to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The resolution calls for Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces to withdraw from a buffer zone in southern Lebanon monitored by U.N. peacekeepers.
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein reported “additional progress” in ceasefire talks with Lebanese officials but did not elaborate on remaining obstacles.
Israeli Bill Targets Families of Convicted Minors
Meanwhile, the Israeli parliament has passed a bill stripping insurance benefits from families of minors convicted of security offenses. The measure, passed 29-8 late Monday, has been criticized by rights groups as collective punishment targeting Palestinians.
The legislation bans families from receiving child allowances, study grants, or other welfare benefits while the convicted minor is imprisoned. The Knesset said the law aims to “cause parents to supervise their children and make sure that they do not engage in terrorist activity.”
Legal group Adalah condemned the bill, saying it imposes punitive measures under the guise of counterterrorism and “creates a distinction on the basis of nationality.”
Critics argue it is the latest in a series of draconian measures passed by the Knesset, including laws permitting the deportation of Palestinian attackers’ families and banning the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, from operating in Israel.
This article includes additional reporting from The Associated Press.