Four pro-Iran fighters were among five people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in north and northwest Syria, a war monitor said on Saturday.
“Four Syrian pro-Iran fighters were killed in Israeli air strikes on the scientific research center and warehouses near Safira east of Aleppo,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based monitor said two other raids further west targeting Saraqeb in Idlib province killed a fifth person.
Israeli authorities rarely comment on such strikes but have repeatedly said they will not allow archenemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.
The Observatory said the strikes targeted two headquarters of Syrian regime forces frequented by members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Late Saturday, the Observatory reported “two Israeli strikes” targeting a Syrian army radar position in the southern province of Suweida, without immediately giving further details.
Since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly targeting army positions and fighters including from Hezbollah.
The monitor said the Idlib raids took place near the front line of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main rebel organization active in the area.
HTS controls swaths of the Idlib province and parts of neighboring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia.
Syria’s official SANA news agency also reported the raids, citing a military source.
“The Israeli army launched an air attack from the direction of southeast Aleppo, targeting a number of sites in the Aleppo and Idlib region,” it said.
Several soldiers were injured and there were “material losses,” SANA added.
It said the strikes took place at 12:45 a.m. local time, (2245 GMT Friday).
Such strikes have intensified since the escalation on September 23 of Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Targets for attack have included border crossings between Syrian and Lebanon, which Israel said have been used as supply routes to rearm Hezbollah.
