The number of casualties from overnight Israeli airstrikes in Syria has tragically risen to 14, with more than 40 others wounded, as reported by Syrian state media on Monday morning. The strikes, which occurred late Sunday, targeted multiple locations in central Syria, causing significant damage. A highway in Hama province was disrupted, and fires erupted, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.
The initial death toll, as reported by the Masyaf National Hospital in western Hama province, was four. However, SANA, citing hospital head Faysal Haydar, later confirmed that the death toll had climbed to 14, with 43 wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, has stated that at least four of the deceased were civilians.
One of the strikes specifically targeted a scientific research center in Maysaf. Other strikes aimed at sites believed to be used by “Iranian militias and experts stationed to develop weapons in Syria,” according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Local media outlets have also reported strikes occurring around the coastal city of Tartous.
As of now, there has been no official comment from the Israeli military regarding the strikes. However, it’s important to note that Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets within government-controlled regions of war-torn Syria in recent years, though it rarely acknowledges or discusses these operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has openly declared its intention to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly given the country’s strategic importance as a key route for Iran to transport weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been involved in clashes with Israeli forces for the past 11 months, coinciding with Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas – an ally of Hezbollah – in Gaza.
