Tel Aviv/Damascus, Nov. 18, (dpa/GNA) – Three Syrian soldiers were killed when Israeli fighter jets struck military targets on Syrian territory overnight, state media reported Wednesday.
The state-run Syrian News Agency (SANA) said “the Israeli aggression also resulted in wounding one soldier as well as inflicting heavy damage.”
It added that Syrian ground defences confronted the attack and downed several rockets.
Earlier Wednesday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)said Israeli fighter jets struck military targets belonging to the Iranian Quds force and the Syrian Armed Forces, in response to explosive devices found.
The Israeli jets early Wednesday reportedly struck storage facilities, headquarters and military compounds as well as Syrian surface-to-air missile batteries.
“We struck eight targets,” Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said. “We struck military targets by al-Quds forces and Syian armed forces inside Syria.”
According to the IDF, Israeli troops had on Tuesday exposed improvised explosive devices on the Israeli side of the so-called alpha line that separates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria, which they said were placed by a Syrian squad led by Iranian forces.
Conricus said the explosives were found near the location where an attempted attack on Israeli troops was foiled in August. Israel had also targeted positions in Syria in retaliation at the time.
“We hope that the message is now clear,” Conricus added. “It is unacceptable that the Syrian regime accepts attacks on Israel from its territory.”
Conricus also spoke of the IDF having targeted “a secret military site where they host Iranian guests,” and noted it was the first time they had hit it.
The presence of the improvised explosive devices was “further clear proof of the Iranian entrenchment in Syria,” the Israel Defence Force asserted.
The IDF further warned that it “maintains elevated readiness” and is prepared for “various scenarios.”
Previous Israeli strikes against targets in war-torn Syria have been seen as an attempt to prevent Iran, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main allies, from building up its military influence in the region.
GNA