Israel strikes on Syria kill two soldiers: state media

Israeli airstrikes on Syria’s west coast on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of two Syrian soldiers and the injury of six others.

Israel strikes on Syria: The source told the official news agency SANA that “the Israeli enemy carried out strikes from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea targeting some of our air defence sites in Tartus” at precisely 17:22 (1422 GMT) this afternoon.

In addition to injuring six more soldiers, the aggression claimed the lives of two soldiers.

Israel, Syria’s neighbour, has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian territory over the course of the country’s more than ten-year conflict, largely focusing on Hezbollah, forces backed by Iran, and Syrian army sites.

According to the war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Hezbollah weapons storage was also the target of Wednesday’s airstrikes.

“The British-based monitor confirmed the deaths of the two troops and noted that a fighter of unknown nationality was also killed in attacks believed to be Israeli missile fire, according to a network of sources within Syria.”

Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian soil since the start of the conflict, primarily focusing on the Syrian army as well as groups backed by Iran and Hezbollah, friends of Damascus and sworn adversaries of Israel.

Israel rarely makes statements about specific attacks it conducts on Syrian targets, but it has frequently stated that it would not permit its archenemy Iran, which supports Damascus, to enlarge its presence there.

An Israeli army spokeswoman declined to comment on “foreign media reports” when contacted by AFP on Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory reported explosions at scientific research center in the highlands of the town of Taqsis, in the province of Hama, where Israeli planes later struck Syria. The report mentioned that there were no injuries.

“Since its inception in 2011, when pro-democracy protests were suppresse, the war in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 500,000 people.”