Israel conducted multiple airstrikes inside Syria on Sunday, killing at least three Syrian soldiers and wounding several more.
According to Syrian news agency SANA, the air attacks targeted the countryside near the capital Damascus, and the coastal region of Tartus. “The aggression led to the death of three soldiers, the wounding of three others,” the agency reported.
In recent years Israel has routinely targeted positions inside Syria that are believed to be used by the Iran-supported Hezbollah militant outfit.
Targeting Hezbollah Outposts
According to Israel’s Jerusalem Post newspaper, the air strikes happened days after Israeli tanks targeted observation posts in Syria allegedly run by the Hezbollah.
Reuters reported that the Israeli strikes happened at a place close to the Russian navy’s only Mediterranean base in the port of Tartus. The report says that Russian warships are currently docked in the region.
The report adds that Russia usually ignores Israeli attacks on Iranian-sponsored outposts and installations in the region. Tel Aviv has been monitoring the expansion of Iranian footprint in coastal Syria, which are seen as long-term threat to the Jewish state.
Reuters
In May, Israeli and Russian military narrowly avoided a mishap when Tel Avis’s military jets came under Russian anti-aircraft fire over Syria.
Israel Warns Syrians Against Cooperation with Iran
Prior to the latest attacks, the IDF had dropped flyers warning the Syrian military against cooperating with Hezbollah and Iranian militias, the JPost reported.
In July, the IDF carried out attacks Damascus, killing at least five Syrian soldiers and several more members of Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias.
In 2019, in a sensational attacks near Damascus Israel killed a top commander of the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Akram al-Ajouri.
Gaza Flare-up
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Tensions in the region rose last month with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) striking inside the Gaza strip after four rockets were fired into the south of the country. The escalation happened at a time when US President Joe Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia.
According to the IDF, the air strikes targeted an underground facility in Nusierat Martyrs site that manufactures rockets. “The site targeted was one of the largest and most important sites in the Strip for the production of base materials for rockets by terror groups,” the IDF said.
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