Israeli strikes escalate across Syria amid regional backlash

Israeli air activity intensified across Syria on Friday, with warplane strikes reported in the capital Damascus as well as in central and western provinces, and drone operations observed in several regions, according to Syrian media and a monitoring group.

In rural Damascus, a drone strike attributed to the Israeli military killed four people in the town of Kanaker on Friday afternoon, Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported.

At least 10 airstrikes also targeted the area surrounding the eastern suburb of Harasta, including a military post near the Harasta Military Hospital, according to the Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syria's state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariyah reported that the airstrikes caused significant material damage, but no confirmed fatalities as of Friday evening. Ambulance and civil defense teams were dispatched to the scene.

In southern Syria, Israeli airstrikes struck the outskirts of the towns of Mothbeen and Izraa in Daraa Province. In central Syria, an Israeli airstrike targeted the outskirts of the village of Shahta in the western countryside of Hama Province on Friday night, injuring four people, local media reported.

Israeli reconnaissance aircraft also reportedly hovered over southern and central parts of Syria, including the provinces of Daraa, Homs and Hama, in what appeared to be part of a coordinated campaign.

Israel's national broadcaster KAN reported Friday that the Israeli government had approved additional targets in Syria, including military installations and sites affiliated with the new Syrian authorities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly authorized the new targets.

The Arab League on Friday condemned the Israeli airstrikes, calling them "a dangerous escalation and a rejected and condemned violation of Syria's sovereignty." In a statement, the pan-Arab organization said the strikes aimed to destabilize the situation, interfere in internal affairs and encroach on Syrian territory.

The Arab League urged the UN Security Council to take action to stop the Israeli attacks, warning they could "ignite the situation in the region.”

Iraq also condemned the strikes. In a statement, Iraq's Foreign Ministry expressed its "categorical rejection of all repeated Israeli attacks that violate Syria's sovereignty and threaten its security and stability."

(With input from Xinhua)