Suspected Israeli strike targets Syria’s Homs

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A suspected Israeli strike on Thursday night targeted Syria’s central Homs province, injuring at least four Syrian army soldiers, state media reported.

“At around 8:55 this evening, the Israeli enemy launched an aerial aggression from the direction of northern Lebanon, targeting a number of military positions in the central region,” Syrian state media (SANA) reported citing military sources.

The strike resulted in the injury of four soldiers and some material damage, according to SANA.

UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the strike targeted a missile depot at a military base about five kilometers from Shayrat airbase in Homs.

Seven fighters, including three members of the pro-Iran militia groups, were injured in the strike, according to SOHR.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria throughout its 13-year civil war, often claiming to strike pro-Iran militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group which supports the Syrian army.

While it rarely comments on strikes attributed to it in Syria, Israel has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate its arch-rival Iran to gain a foothold there. 

According to SOHR data, Thursday’s strike was Israel’s 56th on Syrian territories since the beginning of the year. The war monitor reported that these strikes destroyed around 118 targets, including weapons and ammunition depots, headquarters, centers and vehicles.