The strikes come amid heightened tensions following Israel’s recent escalation of airstrikes on Syrian territory since the December overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad [Getty]
Israeli jets carried out airstrikes on military sites in central Syria on Tuesday, marking the latest in a series of attacks targeting Syrian military positions in recent days, according to multiple sources.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that Israeli airstrikes had targeted a missile battalion near the city of Homs, causing explosions in the area. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Two security sources told Reuters that the strikes had hit former Syrian army outposts in the villages of Shinshar and Shamsin, south of Homs city, targeting army fortifications believed to house military equipment. The Israeli military has not commented on the latest attack.
The strikes come amid heightened tensions following Israel’s recent escalation of airstrikes on Syrian territory since the December overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
Israel has claimed its operations aim to prevent weapons from reaching Syria’s new authorities, whom it accuses of having ties to jihadist groups.
On Monday, Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Daraa reportedly killed three civilians, according to Syrian authorities.
In a separate strike last week, Israeli forces reportedly targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad command centre in Damascus, resulting in one reported fatality.
In addition to the air strikes, since Assad’s fall, Israel has also deployed troops to a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the strategic Golan Heights and called for the complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, near its territory.
