Israeli airstrikes target military facilities near Damascus
Damascus: Israeli airstrikes targeted military sites near Syria's capital, Damascus, hitting facilities in the Deir Ali area, according to local media reports. The Israeli military claimed the strikes were aimed at a Hamas weapons storage facility in the same region.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that Israeli airstrikes also hit storage facilities linked to the First Division and Brigade 166 in Al-Kiswah, southern Syria. The attack triggered powerful explosions, causing fires at the targeted sites. However, the number of casualties and the extent of the damage remain unclear.
Israeli airstrikes on military sites in Syria have been a recurring pattern, often targeting weapons depots and positions linked to Iran-backed groups and Palestinian factions. Israeli officials have consistently stated their intent to prevent arms transfers to Hezbollah and other militant groups operating in Syria.
There was no immediate response from Syrian authorities regarding the attack.
Earlier in January, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed that Israeli forces would maintain an indefinite presence in Syria. During a visit to military posts at Mount Hermon, he stated that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) would remain in the buffer zone indefinitely to ensure the country's security.
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4.4 magnitude quake hits northern Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): A 4.4 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of north and northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the second tremor to hit the country in as many days.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The earthquake that struck at 9:30 am (local time) originated at a depth of 14 kilometres with its epicentre located 11 kms northeast of Burhan, Attock, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad.
Tremors were felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Saturday morning quake came less than 24 hours after a 5.9 magnitude temblor struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, with tremors felt in several cities, including Peshawar and Islamabad, on Friday.
The epicentre of that quake at 6:09 pm (local time) was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region at a depth of 101 kilometres.
Earthquakes are common in northern Pakistan due to its location in the Himalayas where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Earlier, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Balochistan province on February 13 but no loss to life or property was reported there too. Its epicentre was 86 kms northeast of Khuzdar town of the province.
The quake was preceded on the same day by another tremor of magnitude 3.8 that struck 75 kms southeast of Khuzdar at a depth of 33 kms.
The worst quake the country suffered was in 2005, which killed about 74,000 people.
