Four Syrian soldiers were killed, and four others were injured in Israeli air strikes near Damascus, with Syrian air defenses intercepting some missiles, a state news agency reported. Israel has launched numerous air strikes on Syria, targeting Iran-backed forces and Syrian army positions.
Four Syrian soldiers were killed, and four others wounded, in Israeli air strikes near the capital Damascus early Monday, state media said, citing a military source.
“At 2:20 am (2320 GMT Sunday), the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting areas in the vicinity of Damascus,” state news agency SANA reported.
It said the attack killed “four soldiers and wounded four others,” reporting unspecified material damage and adding that Syrian air defenses intercepted some missiles.
During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces, Hezbollah fighters, and Syrian army positions.
While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its archfoe Iran to expand its footprint there.
On July 19, a war monitor said that Israeli air strikes near Damascus killed three pro-government fighters and wounded four others.
SANA had reported two soldiers were wounded in those strikes. It quoted a military source saying the bombing targeted “certain positions in the vicinity of Damascus.”
Syria’s foreign ministry had condemned that attack “in the strongest terms.”
In a statement carried by SANA, it called on the United Nations and the Security Council to “take immediate action” to oblige Israel “to desist from these criminal policies.”
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
