ISTANBUL

Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes late Wednesday on the Syrian cities of Damascus and Hama, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

“An Israeli occupation airstrike targeted the vicinity of the building of the scientific research center in the Barzeh residential district of Damascus,” it said.​​​​​​​

In a separate attack, airstrikes targeted the city of Hama in central Syria.

Hama governorate’s Telegram channel reported that Israeli occupation warplanes targeted Hama Military Airport and its surroundings with more than 15 airstrikes.

The statement noted that the damage was limited to material losses.

The Israeli army said in a statement that in recent hours, it carried out airstrikes targeting “remaining military capabilities in the areas of Hama and T4 (Tiyas Airbase in Homs, central Syria), as well as several remaining military infrastructures in the Damascus area.”​​​​​​​

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.​​​​​​​

Israel also took advantage of the regime's fall to launch hundreds of strikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems and air defense installations, according to reports.