The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that at least 8 government forces fighters were killed in the Israeli strikes on the Homs province overnight. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that "5 Syrian soldiers and 3 additional fighters loyal to the regime, belonging to the National Defense, were killed in the strikes that occurred just before midnight on Tuesday-Wednesday in several areas, including a suburb of Homs."
Late Tuesday-Wednesday, the Syrian news agency SANA reported that Syrian air defenses were responding to "an Israeli aggression" in the skies over the capital, Damascus. It stated, "Our air defenses intercepted an Israeli aggression from the direction of Lebanese airspace." Syrian opposition figures claimed that the Israeli missiles may have targeted Iranian-backed armed groups, while the Israeli army has not yet commented on the reports. Some state media indicated that the strikes hit the province of Homs, which is adjacent to Lebanon.
This attack marks the first missile strike in a month, following pre-dawn airstrikes on the coastal city of Latakia near a Russian airbase on May 5. Western intelligence sources stated that the increase in Israeli strikes on Syria since last year is part of a covert war approved by the United States. The strikes are also part of a policy against Iran that has weakened Tehran's military power in the past two years without leading to a significant increase in hostilities. The intelligence sources noted that Israel has expanded its target range across Syria over the past year, as thousands of Iranian-backed armed factions participated in regaining much territory lost by government forces.
