Israel launched airstrikes yesterday on a residential building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to two Israeli officials who spoke anonymously. The attack, which landed near the Iranian Embassy, was an attempt by the Israeli military to assassinate a ranking Hezbollah official involved in weapons smuggling, they said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says nine civilians were killed alongside two Hezbollah members in the attack.

The high toll and Israel’s use of a warplane were unusual for the Israeli military’s operations in the West Bank, which have escalated during the war in Gaza.