An Israeli strike in Syria killed Salman Nemer Jamaa, Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s terrorist representative to the Syrian military, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement on Tuesday night.
“As part of his role, Jamaa was responsible for coordinating between Hezbollah operatives and the Syrian military, including supporting weapons smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah,” the IDF stated.
The senior terrorist stood in “close contact” with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, according to the Israeli military statement.
🔴 Hezbollah’s representative to the Syrian Military, Salman Nemer Jamaa, was eliminated in an intelligence-based strike.
Jamaa, a senior Hezbollah terrorist, has held various positions in the Hezbollah terrorist organization over the past years, especially in the Syrian arena.… pic.twitter.com/RQxk4sgSY7
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 3, 2024
Syrian state media reported earlier on Tuesday that the IDF had carried out an airstrike against a vehicle on the road to Damascus International Airport. An Israeli official confirmed the Damascus strike to Kan News.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based organization associated with the Syrian opposition that maintains a network of sources in Syria, reported that an Israeli drone strike resulted in one death and one injury.
Israeli fighter jets on Sunday night intercepted an Iranian plane over Syria suspected of transporting weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, forcing it to return to Tehran.
The operation was part of efforts to maintain the Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement that ended over a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group.
The Israeli Air Force on Saturday attacked terrorist infrastructure along the Syria-Lebanon border that according to Israel Hezbollah was “actively using” to smuggle arms.
“The strike was conducted after identifying the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon, even after the ceasefire agreement, constituting a threat to the State of Israel and a violation of the terms of the truce,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
Hours before the ceasefire went into effect, Israel for the first time carried out airstrikes targeting Lebanon’s three northern border crossings with Syria, according to Reuters, which cited Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh.
Syrian state media reported six killed and 12 wounded in the attacks, in addition to “significant material damage.”
The IDF confirmed on Nov. 27 that it had struck Hezbollah smuggling routes between Syria and Lebanon.
Separately, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Nov. 26 that it had targeted a weapons storage facility belonging to an Iranian-aligned militia in Syria, in retaliation for an attack on U.S. forces by the militia the previous day.