Video footage surfaced on social media Tuesday showing a car burning on the Damascus-Beirut road in Syria. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a drone, allegedly Israeli, targeted a vehicle near a checkpoint of the Fourth Division of the Syrian Army in Jdaidat Yabous area in Damascus countryside.

A car was targeted in #Syria’s #Damascus on Tuesday, with at least one casualty reported.#TheNewRegion pic.twitter.com/2hMNtSJwFl

— The New Region (@thenewregion) July 9, 2024

"The attack resulted in the death of at least one person inside the car, whose nationality—whether Iranian, Syrian, or affiliated with Iran-backed militias or the Lebanese Hezbollah—is unknown," SOHR said.

Media outlets have suggested that the recent car targeted in an attack in Damascus was carrying the former personal escort of the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. 

Following the incident, Hezbollah's Military Media channel on Telegram released a statement confirming the death of Yasser Nimer Karnibash, a prominent figure within the group. Karnibash, also known as Amin, was born in 1970 in Zawtar El Sharqiyah, southern Lebanon. 

On the same day, in a separate incident, an Israeli strike targeted a location near the city of Baniyas. 

A military source told Syrian state media that "at around 00:20 after midnight on July 9, 2024, the Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack originating from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea west of Baniyas, targeting a site in the vicinity of the city of Baniyas." 

The source added that the attack resulted in some material losses.

On April 1, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people, as reported by Iranian state media. The consulate was completely destroyed in the attack. 

Among those killed were senior Iranian military figures, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahdi, the commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria, and Brigadier General Hussein Amir Allah, chief of staff of the Revolutionary Guard in Syria and Lebanon. Several Iranian advisers were also reported to have died.

Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes in Syria since 2011, focusing on Iranian and Hezbollah targets, as well as Syrian military sites. 

Israel rarely confirms its involvement in such strikes but has stated its intent to counter Iranian efforts to establish a military presence in Syria. The United States has also targeted Iran-backed factions in eastern Syria. The frequency of these strikes has risen following the escalation of the Gaza conflict in October, heightening regional tensions.