Several killed in Israeli air attack in Syria

A number of people were killed in an Israeli air attack targeting sites in the vicinity of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, Syrian state media said citing a military source, the second reported attack on the country in less than a week.

The strikes at around 12:20am (2120 GMT on Sunday) "led to a number of fatalties and some material damage", the source said, without elaborating.

Israel launched air attacks on May 29 on Syria's central region as well as the coastal city of Baniyas, killing a child and injuring ten civilians, according to Syrian state media.

For years Israel has been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran's influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar Al Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.

President Bashar Al Assad attends a meeting. File photo

In April, Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel after a presumed Israeli strike that destroyed a building in Iran's embassy compound in Damascus and killed several Iranian officers including a top general.

Syria and Israel have been at war since Israel’s founding in 1948. Syria’s President Bashar Assad has been backed by Iran in his country’s yearslong war, and Israeli strikes previously have targeted Iranian positions and equipment.

The strikes also come while Israel is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel separately has been striking targets in Lebanon as well as Hezbollah continues its cross-border fire into the country.

Agencies