Israel attacks Syria’s Homs, wounds five soldiers: Ministry
The raids are the third Israeli strike in Syria in recent days, including one that killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer.
Israel has carried out airstrikes on outposts in the Syrian province of Homs, wounding at least five soldiers, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry.
The raids early on Sunday were the third in recent days and came just a day after another attack on Friday that killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer.
Israel launched “an air assault from the direction of northwest Beirut targeting some outposts in the city of Homs and the countryside at 00:35 am” (21:35 GMT), the Syrian defense ministry said in a statement to state media.
Syrian air defenses intercepted the missiles and shot down several.
A Syrian military source told state media that the attacks caused some material damage, with five soldiers injured.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the report.
Two Western intelligence sources requesting anonymity told Reuters that the missile strikes targeted the T4 air base west of the ancient city of Palmyra, and Al Dabaa airport near the town of Al Qusayr near the Lebanese border, an area with members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
Iranian soldiers and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters are stationed at both airports and there is a strong pro-Iranian militia presence in that part of Homs province, the sources said.
Reuters said it was unable to verify the authenticity of the claims.
Syria denies Western and Israeli allegations that Iran, whose top military officials regularly visit Syria, has an extensive military presence in the country.
Israel has for years carried out attacks on what it describes as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict that began in 2011 after a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters.
Israel has intensified raids on Syrian airports and air bases over the past year to disrupt what Iran says is the use of airborne supply lines to deliver weapons to militias.
An Israeli airstrike last month on Aleppo airport knocked it out of action for two days. The airport has been an important conduit for relief shipments since the deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on February 6.
Western intelligence sources have said Iran is increasingly using several civilian airports to deliver more weapons, taking advantage of heavy air traffic as cargo planes unload relief supplies after the deadly earthquake.
Iran declined to comment on the Western and Israeli accusations.