Israeli military personnel look from the Golan Heights over southwest Syria, November 2017 (Reuters)
Assad regime outlets claim that Israel struck targets in southern Syria late Thursday.
Syrian State news agency SANA said helicopters fired missiles about midnight, crossing the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights into the south.
The site claimed there was only material damage.
Unconfirmed reports said the positions of Iranian forces and Iranian-supported militias were hit.
on Monday, Israeli missiles reportedly killed four Iran-backed fighters in attacks on bases near Damascus. Three civilians were slain and four wounded by shrapnel, either from the missiles or from regime air defenses.
See also Syria Daily, April 28: Claim — 7 Killed in Israeli Airstrike Near Damascus
Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday:
We have moved from blocking Iran’s entrenchment in Syria to forcing it out of there, and we will not stop.
We will not allow more strategic threats to grow just across our borders without taking action. We will continue to take the fight to the enemy’s territory.
The warning to Tehran was Bennett’s second in three days. On Sunday, he said, “[Iranian soldiers] are risking their lives and paying with their lives. We will not allow the establishment of an advanced Iranian base in Syria.”
4 Attacks in 15 Days
Israel has attacked Assad regime, Iranian, and Hezbollah targets throughout Syria’s nine-year conflict. The strikes initially focused on stopping the movement of weapons, but later expanded to press for Iran’s full military withdrawal from the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the military have repeatedly said that they will not tolerate the presence of Iranian-led militia or Hezbollah in southwest Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Last week, Israel reportedly attacked a base near Palmyra in central Syria. Unconfirmed reports said at least nine Iran-backed militia and Hezbollah fighters were killed.
A drone strike on a car near the border with Lebanon reportedly injured several Hezbollah members on April 15.
