Damascus, Syria - October 08, 2024

At least seven people were killed and 11 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike Tuesday evening in a residential area of Mazzeh, west of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to a statement by the Syrian Defense Ministry.

The Syrian Defense Ministry said that three Israeli missiles launched from the direction of the Golan Heights in Syria's south hit a 14-storey residential building located in the densely populated area.

Among the casualties were children and women, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.

The residential building was left partially gutted and dozens of vehicles damaged by falling debris as a result of the strike.

Rescue teams worked for hours searching for signs of life and those wounded.

The area that came under attack is home to the Iranian embassy and consulate.

It has been the second airstrike Israel launched on what it called Iranian-backed militants in the Mazzeh neighborhood since the beginning of the month.

The Iranian embassy in Damascus has denied the presence of Iranian personnel in the targeted apartments, adding that the strikes were yet another crime committed by Israel against civilian buildings.

Shotlist:
Damascus, Syria - Oct 8, 2024:
1. Various of damaged residential building, car after Israeli attack; rescue crews, civilians;
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali, local resident (no full name given):
"I was just passing by this area, and suddenly I heard the sound of missile explosions. This area is a civilian area and people walk here frequently, including myself.";
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah, local resident (no full name given) (partially overlaid with shot 4):
"We heard the sound of four explosions. We knew later that this building was hit, and three storeys were destroyed. I saw many casualties, and it's because many people were at home at that time. Some were thrown out of their homes by the impact of the explosions.";
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
4. Destroyed apartment, crowd;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
5. Various of damaged residential building; rescue crews, civilians.

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