Well-known television anchor killed in Israeli strike on Syria

Israel has been striking other targets across the Middle East, at the same time as it launches its ground offensive in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah.

Safaa Ahmed, a well-known Syrian television anchor, has been killed alongside two others in an overnight Israeli strike on Damascus, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

"The General Authority for Radio and Television announces the death of the anchor Safaa Ahmed as a martyr following the treacherous Israeli aggression on the capital, Damascus," the report said.

READ MORE: Israel begins 'limited ground operation' into Lebanon

The Syrian defence ministry said the Israeli military targeted Damascus with drones and planes at around 2am local time from the "direction of the occupied Golan Heights."

"Our air defence systems confronted the aggression's missiles and drones and shot down most of them," the ministry said in a statement, adding that three civilians and nine others were injured as a result of the strike.

Videos posted to social media, and geolocated by CNN, show that an explosion took place next to Syria's Telecom building, west of the city's military airport.

Additional videos geolocated by CNN show a car in flames after the blast.

It is not clear if this is the location where Ahmed or the others were killed, and the location of their death was not reported by SANA.

When asked about the reports, the Israeli military said: "We do not comment on reports in the foreign media."

Israel has launched airstrikes in Syria intermittently since Hamas' October 7 attacks last year but does not usually confirm when it has carried out attacks there.

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