Israeli Jets Fly over Lebanon in Rare Daytime Raid on Syria
Israeli jets flying high over Lebanon struck at targets inside Syria on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported, in a rare daytime raid that killed at least one person.
Syria's SANA state news agency said the country's air defenses shot down five missiles, adding that one person was killed and 12 others were wounded.
It reported strikes on the Wadi Ayoun area in the western Hama province and on the town of Baniyas in the coastal Tartous province.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the jets targeted military installations belonging to Iran, a key ally of the Syrian government.
Lebanese residents in areas north of the capital Beirut reported hearing jets overhead before sunset.
Israel is believed to be behind a string of strikes targeting government and allied military installations in Syria, in order to disrupt weapons transfers between its archenemies Iran and Lebanon's Hizbullah. The Israeli government rarely acknowledges the attacks, and such strikes usually take place late at night.
An Israeli military official said Tuesday that Israel has struck over 200 Iranian targets in Syria over the past 18 months. The official said the targets were connected to Iran's elite al-Quds force and include air force components, support infrastructure, and weapons storage and manufacturing facilities.
The official said Tuesday's alleged airstrikes were not included in the tally. He would not confirm Israel was behind those strikes, and did not comment on them.
Source: Associated Press
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