An explosion in an arms warehouse near an industrial town in the suburbs of Damascus left 11 dead, reported an NGO, which attributes the explosion to a “probable” Israeli strike, an accusation denied to AFP by an Israeli military source.
“We are not aware of any Israeli army strikes in the area. The Israeli Defense Forces did not strike the area.”indicated this Israeli military source, questioned about the explosion in the industrial town of Adra, around thirty km from the Syrian capital.
“At least 11 people killed in explosion likely caused by Israeli strike”indicated Rami Abdel Rahmane, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
The explosion hit “an arms warehouse which belonged to the regime forces” fallen, on the outskirts of the industrial city of Adra, added Mr. Abdel Rahmane.
He said the toll was not definitive, as bodies had been torn apart by the explosion. “The victims are mainly civilians“, he said, assuring that since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's power on December 8, civilians have been investing in military positions to find “anything that can be sold and made profitable” money, like wood or metals.
“No one knows what the causes are”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a local official from a locality neighboring that of the industrial city of Adra confirmed “an explosion of unknown origin: no one knows what the causes were.”
“There are victims”he said after speaking to an engineer from the industrial city, adding that rescue operations were underway to find bodies and save injured people who would be trapped under the rubble.
Since the fall of Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syrian territory targeting military sites, claiming to want to prevent the arsenal of the previous power from falling into the hands of the new authorities.
Syria conflict in Syria Damascus Middle East
