Israel carries more than 18 air raids in Syria: War monitor

Israeli night raids which hit arms depots and military positions in eastern Syria killed at least five soldiers and 11 allied fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

The Israeli air force carried out more than 18 attacks against multiple targets in an area stretching from the eastern town of Deir Az Zor to the al-Bukamal desert at the Syrian-Iraqi border, according to the Britain-based war monitor.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-Syrian opposition organization, said that Israel bombed at least 18 bases and storehouses used by pro-Iranian militias and terror groups.

The Observatory said that 23 were killed in the strikes, seven of them Syrian soldiers and the rest “militia fighters allied with Iran.” That claim could not be verified and was not reported by official sources in Syria. The Observatory has regularly been accused by Syrian war analysts of inflating casualty numbers, as well as inventing them wholesale.

#Israel-i attack on #IRGC Quds Force positions in #Syria

Fatimid warehouse, Nasr Al-Irani Center on Port Saeed Street in #DeirEzZor were targeted. #Iraq-i #Hezbollah positions near #AlBukmal border area were also targeted. 5-20 deaths reported on pro-israeli media. pic.twitter.com/PrNSvWEXUt

— Ahmad (@_ahmadalhindi) January 13, 2021

The Israel Defense Forces had no comment on the late-night strikes, in accordance with its policy to neither confirm nor deny its operations in Syria, save for those in retaliation for an attack from the country.

The area targeted has reportedly been repeatedly struck by Israel in recent years as it houses a number of bases used by Iranian-backed groups and is key to a land corridor for Tehran that links Iran across Iraq and Syria through Lebanon, which Iran uses to smuggle in weapons and rockets, mainly to the Hezbollah terror group.