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Israeli warplanes carried out a "wide-scale" attack against Iranian forces and Syrian army targets in Syria, the Israeli military revealed Wednesday. The strikes killed at least 11 fighters, including seven foreigners, according to a British-based monitoring group.
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In a rare confirmation of their operations in Syria, the Israeli army said it had carried out dozens of strikes against the Iranian elite Quds Force and the Syrian military, in response to four rockets fired at Israel a day before.
At least 11 "fighters" were killed in the strikes, said Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Seven were foreigners, the group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman said, though he could not confirm whether they were all Iranian. Four civilians were also wounded, he added.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out “wide-scale strikes” on Quds and Syrian armed forces in response to “rockets fired at Israel by an Iranian force in Syria last night”.
On Tuesday, four rockets were fired at Israel from Syria, with the army blaming an "Iranian force".
Syria's state news agency SANA said Syrian anti-aircraft defences responded to a "heavy attack" by Israeli warplanes over the capital.
The Israeli army confirmed missiles were fired towards its jets but denied any were hit.
In a Twitter post, the IDF noted that, “During our strike of Iranian & Syrian terror targets, a Syrian air defense missile was fired despite clear warnings to refrain from such fire. As a result, a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were destroyed.”
During our strike of Iranian & Syrian terror targets, a Syrian air defense missile was fired despite clear warnings to refrain from such fire. As a result, a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were destroyed.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 20, 2019
Iran has fought alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the country's eight-year civil war, heightening Israeli concern over the presence of its arch foe along its border.
"Whoever hurts us, we will hurt him," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
"This is what we did overnight vis-a-vis military targets of the Iranian Quds Force and Syrian military targets in Syria after a barrage of rockets was launched at Israel."
Airport control facility hit
The Israeli army said it had targeted about a dozen military sites, including warehouses and military command centres.
The most important target was a control facility at the main international airport in Damascus, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told AFP.
"It is the main building that serves the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards… for coordinating the logistic facilities of transport of military hardware from Iran to Syria and from Syria onwards," he said.
Syrian civil war complicates volatile situation
Israel has carried out frequent air and missile strikes against Iranian targets inside Syria since the country descended into civil war in 2011, but rarely comments on them.
Tuesdays rocket attacks into Israel were intercepted by the countrys Iron Dome missile defence system.
Conricus said it was the sixth time Iranian foRead More – Source
