The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that Israeli strikes near Damascus at night killed nine militants, including five Syrian soldiers, the highest number since the beginning of the year.
According to the observatory, on Tuesday evening Israel launched rocket attacks on at least five objects, most of which belong to groups loyal to Tehran, in the vicinity of the Syrian capital.
Nine people, five Syrian soldiers and four other militant groups loyal to Tehran, were killed in the strikes, but the observatory was unable to identify them. At least eight other people were injured.
The bombing, according to the observatory, led to the destruction of weapons and ammunition depots belonging to groups loyal to Tehran near Damascus International Airport.
The result, observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, is the highest result of Israeli shelling since the beginning of the year.
The previous outcome, published by the official media, according to a Syrian military source yesterday morning, spoke of “martyrdom of four military personnel, wounding of three more and causing some material damage.”
The source said that “the Israeli enemy carried out air aggression with rocket bursts from the direction of Tiberias, striking at some points in the vicinity of Damascus.”
“Our air defense resisted Israeli aggression missiles and shot down some of them,” he explained.
In recent years, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes in Syria against Syrian military targets, Iranian targets, and Lebanese Hezbollah targets.
Israel rarely confirms it has carried out strikes in Syria, but reiterates that it will continue to counter what it describes as Iranian attempts to establish a military presence in Syria.
