Syria
Syrian air defenses respond to Israeli missiles targeting south of the capital Damascus in an earlier strike on July 20, 2020. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria said on Thursday that two civilians were injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting Hama and Tartus, according to state media.
Syrian air defenses intercepted missiles launched towards the regions of Hama and Tartus at 7:15pm local time, the official Syrian news agency (SANA) quoted a military source as saying, labeling the attack as “Israeli aggression.”
SANA added that two civilians were injured during the strikes, without adding further details.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed that missile targeted the positions of Iran-backed militia. It also reported multiple explosions and a fire in Massyaf, Hama, following the attack.
According to the monitor, “military headquarters, sites, and warehouses for weapons and ammunition belonging to the Iranian militias” were the target of what it labeled “Israeli bombardment.”
There was no confirmation by Israel though it rarely comments on airstrikes attributed to it in Syria.
The attack comes hours after the US said it killed four suspected Iran-backed militants and destroyed seven rocket launchers in Syria.
SOHR added that Thursday’s attack was the third time Israel targeted Hama.
Earlier this month, Syria said three soldiers were killed in Israeli strikes targeting different areas of the country.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria throughout its 11-year civil war, often claiming to target Iran-affiliated militias, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah group which supports the Syrian army.
Dozens of rocket attacks have been conducted by Israel in Syria since the start of the year.
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