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Al-Mezzeh District: New Israeli Targeting of the Regime's Stronghold in the Heart of the Capital
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The repeated targeting of the Mezzeh area highlights the major security failures of the Syrian regime, as it fails to protect sensitive areas in the capital, increasing doubts about its legitimacy and
The Mezzeh area, under the control of the Syrian regime in Damascus, was shaken by the echoes of a huge explosion heard throughout the capital. The regime's news agency claimed that the explosion resulted from a missile targeting a vehicle in this neighborhood.
Initial reports indicated the possibility of an assassination operation carried out by Israel, without revealing the identity of the targeted person. The regime's defense ministry acknowledged the Israeli nature of the attack, claiming it resulted from a raid that killed two people inside an SUV and injured several passersby.
According to a regime official in Damascus, the targeting occurred near Al-Sharqiya roundabout, next to the "Golden Mezzeh" hotel in Eastern Mezzeh, causing the car to catch fire. Some sources circulated news about the proximity of the targeted vehicle to a condolence gathering held for Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas's political bureau.
Damage was caused to the facade of the hotel adjacent to the explosion site, which is close to the regime's Ministry of Information, while the place was filled with burned cars.
This incident comes in a series of targetings witnessed in the Mezzeh area, located west of Damascus. At the beginning of this month, the son-in-law of Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, was subjected to an assassination operation that led to his death.
The Mezzeh area holds great strategic importance for the regime, as it includes a number of security and military headquarters belonging to it, in addition to residences of prominent Palestinian and Iranian leaders, a cluster of embassies and UN organizations. The neighborhood has witnessed notable urban development to become one of the most modern and upscale suburbs of Damascus under regime control.
The Mezzeh area extends over an area of 7,750 hectares, from Umayyad Square in the east to the Somaria area in the west, and from Mezzeh Mountain in the north to the Kafr Sousa area in the south. Estimates indicate that its population is about 90,000 people.
The neighborhood houses the regime's presidential palace overlooking the area, in addition to many administrative buildings, a court complex, and international official headquarters. It also includes the Mezzeh military airport, which was previously the main airport of Damascus before the establishment of the international airport in the southeastern part of the capital.
This strategic area for the regime has witnessed numerous incidents, including the killing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's intelligence chief in Syria and his deputy in an Israeli strike last January, which also claimed the lives of two Revolutionary Guard members, according to what was announced by the official Iranian media.
The repetition of targetings in this vital area highlights the fragility of the regime's control and its inability to protect its main strongholds in the heart of the capital, increasing doubts about its ability to govern and impose its effective control over the areas it claims to control.
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