Israel kills 16 Syrians during attack in troubled zone

Israeli missiles struck several military targets in central Syria, killing at least 16 people and injuring 36 others during the attack in the country.

As gathered, the attack has sparked a fire and caused material damage near the city of Masyaf, in the Hama province

The attack occurred at around 23:20 yesterday when the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of northwestern Lebanon, targeting a number of military sites in the central region of Syria.

“Our air defence systems confronted the aggression’s missiles and shot down some of them,” a source disclosed without providing further details.

However, the Israeli military commonly does not comment on its operations in Syria.

Two regional intelligence sources said a major military research center for chemical arms production located near Masyaf had been hit several times.

Additionally, a team of Iranian military experts involved in weapons production was believed to be working at the site.

Moreover, Israeli jets have often launched attacks against Syria from Lebanon, likely in a bid to avoid Syrian airspace where multiple regional and international forces operate.

Meanwhile, throughout Syria’s 13-year civil war, Israel has regularly carried out air raids in the country – mostly targeting Iran-linked sites.

Yesterday’s attack comes amid growing regional tensions, with Iranian officials still pledging to respond to the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

Consequently, Iran has promised “harsh punishment” for Israel over the killing, but no Iranian attack has materialized more than 40 days after the assassination.

Last week, Mohsen Chizari, a top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, said Iran’s response is coming “in due time”.

Iran launched a direct attack on Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles in April in response to the Israeli bombing of an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus.

Israeli and US air defences in the region helped shoot down most of the projectiles, minimising the damage of the attack.