Four soldiers killed in alleged Israeli strikes on Syria

Four other Syrian soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

 A streak of light is seen in the night sky in the vicinity of the Syrian capital Damascus during what Syrian authorities said was an Israeli air strike, in this handout released by state news agency SANA on February 24, 2020.  (photo credit: SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
A streak of light is seen in the night sky in the vicinity of the Syrian capital Damascus during what Syrian authorities said was an Israeli air strike, in this handout released by state news agency SANA on February 24, 2020.
(photo credit: SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Four Syrian soldiers were killed and four others were wounded in alleged Israeli airstrikes targeting sites near Damascus early Monday morning, according to Syrian state media.

A Syrian military source told the Syrian state media outlet SANA that the airstrikes were conducted from the direction of the Golan Heights, adding that material damage was also caused in the strikes.

The Syrian Capital Voice news site reported that the strikes targeted sites near Saidnayah and Mneen, north of Damascus, hitting warehouses belonging to the Syrian military used by Iran-backed militias.

According to the report, fires erupted at the targeted sites.

During the strikes, a surface-to-air missile reportedly fell near the Syrian town of Dourin, near the border with the Golan Heights.

 Missile fire is seen over Damascus, Syria January 21, 2019.  (credit: SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Missile fire is seen over Damascus, Syria January 21, 2019. (credit: SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Last alleged Israeli strike in Syria was reported in late July

The strikes on Monday morning were the first alleged Israeli strikes reported in Syria since late July when the Syrian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of attacking the country's Internal Security Forces in al-Qahtaniah in the Quneitra Governorate along the border with the Golan Heights.

That attack resulted in material damage and no injuries, according the Syrian Foreign Ministry. The statement did not provide details on when exactly the strike was carried out.

In mid-July, two Syrian soldiers were injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes in the Damascus area. Reports by opposition-affiliated news sites indicated that the sites targeted in those strikes were located west of Damascus near Qudssaya or As'Saboura. Photos reportedly from the area showed multiple fires blazing after the strikes.

About two weeks before those strikes, the IDF struck a Syrian air defense battery after a Syrian air defense missile exploded mid-air over southern Israel. Additional targets in the area were hit as well.

That airstrike came shortly after reports of alleged Israeli airstrikes in the Homs Governorate in central Syria. Syrian state media reported at the time that Syrian air defenses were activated in the Homs Governorate in response to alleged Israeli airstrikes in the area. The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that no injuries were caused in the strikes.