IDF Takes Out 6 Foreign Fighters in Strike on Militia in Syria

A missile hit a government-run scientific research facility used to produce long-range rockets.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

The Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) latest strike in Syria early Friday morning killed at least six Iran-backed fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The SOHR’s report said that the casualties were all from foreign paramilitaries fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

The missiles, which were fired from Lebanese airspace, hit positions held by Iran-backed militias in the Masyaf district of Hama province, SOHR chief Rami Abdul Rahman said.

A missile hit a government-run scientific research facility in the area. The center is used for the development and production of weapons, including long-range missiles, and has been bombed by Israel in the past.

Iranian experts are believed to be working at the research center, the SOHR said.

Israel has remained silent on the reports.

In a summary of 2020, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi noted that “the Iranian establishment in Syria is in a clear slowdown, but we still have a long way to go to complete the goals in the arena.”

“We have struck over 500 targets this year, on all fronts, in addition to multiple clandestine missions,” he said.

In general, Iran’s military build-up in Syria remains a red line for Israel. The IAF has carried out thousands of attacks to thwart the Iranian entrenchment in the war-torn country.