BICOM

The Israel military targeted several Iranian military sites in Syria last night in response to a surface-to-surface missile attack earlier in the day.

According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the targets included a weapons depot, a site in the Damascus International Airport, an Iranian intelligence base and an Iranian military training camp and Syrian air defence bases after dozens of Syrian surface-to-air missiles were launched from them.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 11 military personnel were killed in the attacks, only two of which were Syrian. Russia’s defence control centre said that four Syrian soldiers were killed and six were wounded in the attack. According to the Kremlin-backed Sputnik news site, Syrian-operated Pantsir and Buk air defence systems destroyed seven incoming Israeli missiles launched from four F-16 fighter jets from the Mediterranean Sea. Syrian media said the IDF hit sites in Damascus International Airport and in the town of al-Kiswah, south of the capital, both of which are believed to house pro-Iranian militias and weapons warehouses for Hezbollah.

The Israeli attacks were launched in response to a surface-to-surface missile being fired from Syrian territory aimed at the Golan Heights in Israel. The IDF’s Iron Dome aerial defence system intercepted the missile before it breached Israeli airspace. The IDF said Syria is “responsible for everything taking place” within its borders and warned the regime against attacking Israel. The Israeli army closed Mount Hermon today, citing security concerns.

The missile was fired after Syrian state media said its air defences repelled an Israeli attack in the south of the country earlier in the day, shooting down seven missiles. Russia claimed that Israel was behind the attack, which targeted an airport in southeast Damascus after a reported Syrian cargo plane arrived from Tehran believed to be transporting advanced weapons.

Another flight from Iran, flown by Tehran’s Mahan Air carrier, was en route to Syria on Sunday afternoon but turned back following the reported Israeli strike. Mahan Air has been identified by intelligence officials as one of the cargo carriers suspected of transferring weapons from Iran to Syria. As a result, it is subject to sanctions by the US Treasury Department.