Israeli air strikes raids on Syrian Homs province
Israeli air strikes in central Syria killed at least eight pro-government fighters late Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“At least five army soldiers and three allied fighters were killed,” Observatory chief Rami Abdul Rahman told our reporters, adding that several more were wounded.
The Israeli air force carried out overnight strikes in several regions of Syria, in the capital Damascus as well as in Homs, Hama and Latakia provinces, the Observatory said.
Syria’s state SANA news agency said there had been “explosions in Damascus” as Israeli forces carried out the raid from Lebanese air space.
The Britain-based war monitor said the strikes targeted air force positions near the village of Khirbet al-Tin on the outskirts of Homs, as well as an arms depot belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.
It said air defenses had been activated against the “Israeli aggression” but said nothing about any casualties or damage.
Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, targeting government positions as well as allied Iran-backed forces and fighters of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
The Israeli army, which rarely acknowledges individual strikes on Syria, declined to comment on “reports in the foreign media”.
Israel has said repeatedly that it will not allow neighboring Syria to become a launchpad for its arch foe Iran.
