{"id":23358,"date":"2024-09-10T04:40:05","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T04:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=23358"},"modified":"2024-09-10T04:45:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T04:45:50","slug":"middle-east-tensions-flare-as-israeli-strike-kills-18-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2024\/09\/middle-east-tensions-flare-as-israeli-strike-kills-18-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East tensions flare as Israeli strike kills 18 in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

MORNING (SW) – At least 18 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on a number of military sites in central Syria, the Syrian health minister says.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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State news agency Sana cited Hassan al-Ghabbash as saying another 37 people were injured in the attacks in the vicinity of Masyaf, in Hama province, on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

A UK-based monitoring group reported that 26 people were killed and that the targets included a scientific research center near Masyaf that was used to develop weapons, reported BBC.<\/p>\n

The Israeli military said it would not comment on foreign media reports of the strikes, which Syria’s foreign ministry condemned as “blatant aggression” and Iran’s foreign ministry called a “criminal attack”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, Israel has previously acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran – Israel’s main foe – and allied armed groups.<\/p>\n

The Israeli strikes have reportedly been stepped up since the start of the war in Gaza in October last year, in response to cross-border attacks on northern Israel by Hezbollah and other groups in Lebanon and Syria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sana’s report cited a Syrian military source as saying that Israeli aircraft flying over north-western Lebanon launched missiles at \u201ca number of military sites in the central region\u201d at around 23:20 (20:20 GMT) on Sunday.<\/p>\n

“Our air defence shot down some missiles,\u201d the military source added.<\/p>\n

The news agency said the strikes also caused damage to the Masyaf-Wadi al-Oyoun highway and that a fire broke out in the forested Hair Abbas area.<\/p>\n

Later, the Syrian foreign ministry said the attack had targeted “several residential areas”, while local authorities reported that key infrastructure had been damaged, including a fiber optic cable running underneath the highway and a high-voltage power line, according to Sana.<\/p>\n

State-run Al-Ikhbariya al-Suriyah TV also broadcast footage purportedly showing a damaged building in the port city of Tartous, west of Masyaf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In April, Iran accused Israel of carrying out an air strike on a consulate building in Damascus which killed two senior Revolutionary Guards commanders.<\/p>\n

Iran retaliated by carrying out its first direct military attack against Israel. It launched 300 missiles and drones, but almost all of them were shot down by Israeli and US-led forces.<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/strong><\/em><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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