At least 12 pro-regime fighters were killed in an overnight Israeli strike that targeted a factory near Aleppo in the north of Syria, an NGO reported early on Monday.
“Twelve pro-Iranian fighters of Syrian and foreign nationalities were killed, according to an initial tally, in an Israeli air strike on a position in the town of Hayyan, north of Aleppo, setting off strong explosions in a factory,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that “after midnight… the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the southeast of Aleppo, targeting some positions” near the city, adding that “the aggression caused several martyrs and material damage.”
According to the Observatory, rescuers and firefighters were deployed to the site to treat the injured and contain blazes caused by the strike.
The NGO said that Hayyan is “controlled by pro-Iranian groups composed of Syrians and foreigners.”
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on its northern neighbor since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war, mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters, including from the militant group Hezbollah.
While it rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria, Israel repeatedly said that it will not allow its arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence there.
With AFP
