Israel Strikes Pro-Iranian Militias in Mazzeh District, Raising Residents’ Fears

For months, Damascus’s Mazzeh district has been subjected to Israeli airstrikes targeting sites linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hezbollah, and Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The strikes often hit residential apartments, vehicles, or military and security facilities associated with these groups, causing significant damage to the targeted properties. While no buildings have completely collapsed, the ongoing strikes have instilled a pervasive sense of fear among residents, prompting some to leave the area altogether.

Mazzeh, one of Damascus’s largest districts, is known for upscale housing for high-ranking government officials, military personnel, and prominent businessmen, in particular in the Eastern Villas and Western Villas. Meanwhile, the informal settlement of Mazzeh 86 is inhabited by poorer segments of society, mostly supportive of the regime. Mazzeh 86 area expanded in the 1980s around former military barracks for members of the militia led by Rifaat Al-Assad, the brother of late President Hafez Al-Assad.

The Mazzeh district is densely populated and includes significant Alawite communities in both its zoned and informal areas. It is also home to the Mazzeh military airport, various military and intelligence bases, the Iranian Embassy, and several landmarks like Al-Jalaa Sports Complex, Al-Assad University Hospital, and the offices of Al-Baath newspaper. Mazzeh is also the entrance gate to the city when arriving from the Lebanese border.

These characteristics have made Mazzeh an attractive location for IRGC leaders and militia figures from Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Iranian-backed groups, much like the neighbouring Kafr Sousseh district. These officials often operate covertly, using rented properties under false names to conceal their identities. For instance, a source told The Syria Report that in 2013, a Damascus municipality employee reportedly arranged rental contracts in Mazzeh for individuals affiliated with the pro-regime Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), whose armed militia fought alongside the Syrian government during the war. Many of these contracts, registered in the governorate’s rental offices department, were later revealed to house IRGC members or allied militia leaders.

In September, Israel intensified its strikes against Mazzeh, including the attack against the Iranian consulate building, where the IRGC’s Quds Force commander Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy were killed. The attacks have intensified since, with the most recent strike, on November 15, targeting the vicinity of the Mazzeh military airport.

As a result of this wave of Israeli attacks, some residents have opted to relocate to safer areas, while some landlords have expelled tenants with perceived links to Iranian-backed militias.

Mona, a Mazzeh resident, told The Syria Report she now avoids crowded places, whether markets, public spaces, or even residential buildings with unfamiliar occupants, fearing potential strikes targeting individuals in these locations. She noted that many “strangers” have settled in Mazzeh since 2012, making it difficult to identify outsiders.

On October 8, an Israeli airstrike on a residential and commercial building in Mazzeh killed seven people and injured 11, the official news agency SANA reported. The strike destroyed the first three floors of the building and burned over 20 parked vehicles, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Mona recounted how rescue teams worked that night to recover bodies and extinguish fires at the site, known locally as the “14 Buildings.” The following morning, police arrived and instructed Lebanese tenants to evacuate immediately, reportedly at the request of Syrian residents concerned about potential security risks posed by single, unaccompanied Lebanese men. The swift police response, atypical in Syria, was attributed to the familial ties many local residents have with security and military officials.

While the evacuation eased some concerns, rumours of potential strikes on other buildings persist. Mona noted that some typically bustling areas in Mazzeh now appear unusually deserted.

Another Mazzeh resident, who had rented out his apartment in the “14 Buildings” to a Syrian man from Deir-ez-Zor allegedly affiliated with Hezbollah, described a long-standing conflict with the tenant. Following the airstrike on the building, this Mazzeh resident seized the opportunity to report the tenant, leading to his removal by police without incident.

Another local of this neighbourhood, Marwan and his family, decided to leave their home near the French Garden in Mazzeh after an Israeli strike in early October killed Hezbollah commander Mohammad Jaafar Qasir. Shrapnel from the attack reached Marwan’s home, prompting him to relocate to a furnished apartment in central Damascus, an area he described as free of Hezbollah and Iranian presence. Despite advertising his Mazzeh apartment for rent since mid-October, Marwan has found no takers, a stark contrast to the district’s previously high demand.

Similarly, Afraa, who lives with her elderly mother in Mazzeh, decided to move to a safer location after three neighbouring families fled in recent days. Concerned about her mother’s health and the risk of delayed medical assistance during an attack, Afraa relocated to a suburb under Russian control with the help of relatives. Afraa described her new home as much safer, noting the added sense of security provided by the area’s association with Russian forces. However, she remains haunted by the growing exodus from Mazzeh and the persistent threat of further violence.