Syria says Israeli aircraft strike military targets in western Hama province

Syrian state media said Israeli aircraft carried out a strike on military targets near the city of Masyaf in western Hama province.

According to Syrian news agency SANA, the Israeli planes carried out the strike from Lebanese airspace at 2:30 AM local time (23:30 GMT). Three Syrian soldiers were wounded and several buildings were destroyed as a result of the attack.

“The enemy missiles were dealt with and some of them were shot down before reaching their target, resulting in the damage of a few buildings and the injury of three fighters,” SANA added.

Since the civil war started, Israel has carried out scores of military strikes in Syria during against suspected arms transfers and deployments by Iranian forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies which are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Israeli Air Force has struck security and military infrastructure in Masyaf in the past.

In February, an Israeli satellite imagery analysis company said that Syria’s powerful S-300 air defense system was probably operational in the area of Masyaf, where Friday’s strike reportedly occurred. The system would pose a potential threat to Israel’s aerial campaign against Iran in the country.

Israel has in recent months acknowledged it has been striking Iranian targets in Syria. The last such strikes that Israel announced were in late March.

Acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz appeared to confirm last month’s attack, saying in an interview with Israel Radio late last month that “as far as Iran knows, it’s Israel” that carried out the strike, and went on to say that it was a “challenging” operation to perform.

The strikes come at a time of heightened tension between Israel and Syria, following last month’s decision by the US administration to recognize Israel’s control over the Golan Heights it captured from Syria in 1967. The decision sparked condemnation and protests in Syria.

Israel has accused Iran of seeking to establish a military presence in Syria that could threaten Israeli security, and attempting to transfer advanced weaponry to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.

Sunidhi Bhatti

Sunidhi Bhatti is a Post graduate in Mass Communications and Electronic Media. She is a young enthusiast who loves to write on political affairs and always satisfied with her work. Besides a content writer, she is a vocalist also.

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