The strike took out 14 people, including Iranian and Iraqi nationals, during operations targeting a military base near Aleppo, according to a Syrian monitor group.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Monday night carried out several strikes against military targets in Syria, including an attack that destroyed an important research facility.
Syria’s official SANA news agency reported that the army’s air defenses “confronted a missile aggression” on Al-Sfira in the Aleppo area in the north of the country.
The attack targeted “military depots,” SANA reported.
The report did not specify the number of casualties or damage caused by the strike, but stated that “verification is underway to evaluate the losses left by the aggression,” an admission that the attack was successful.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Syria (SOHR) quoted its activists in the country who reported on a strike targeting branch 247 “defense factories” in Al-Sfira. The strikes resulted in the destruction of ammunition depots.
According to SOHR, 14 people, including Iranian and Iraqi nationals, were killed in the strikes.
The activities further reported on “three loud explosions” that were heard in the Al-Mayadeen desert in rural Deir ez-Zor, targeting positions of Iranian-led militia.
“No details have emerged yet on the casualties or extent of material damage,” the SOHR added.
Arabic media reported a large fire with a large number of casualties in the Israeli attack south of Aleppo.
A scientific research facility was probably destroyed. The center is used for the development and production of weapons, including long-range missiles, and has been bombed by Israel in the past.
Sixth Strike in Two Weeks
Israel has significantly stepped up its attacks against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria in recent weeks. Monday night’s attack is the sixth attack in Syria in a two-week period, all against Iranian or Hezbollah targets related to the Iranian missile project in Syria.
While Israel has refrained from publicly commenting on the reports, Minister of Defense Naftali Bennett stated during an interview last Tuesday that the IDF was determined to drive the Iranians out of Syria.
“We have moved from blocking Iran’s entrenchment in Syria to forcing it out of there, and we will not stop. We will not allow more strategic threats to grow just across our borders without taking action,” he stated. “We will continue to take the fight to the enemy’s territory.”
Iran seeks to establish bases, with Syrian’s blessing, along Israel’s northern borders. Israel has long maintained that it will not allow Iran to establish a new threat on its borders.
Israel is also trying to prevent Iran from providing Hezbollah with advanced weaponry, specifically precision-guided missiles.
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 Iranian entrenchment in the war-torn country.