Israeli Airstrikes Hit Several Syrian Sites, at Least Seven Reported Killed

Observatory says five Iranians among the slain

Israeli media are reporting a series of Israeli airstrikes against uncertain targets across Syria. Syrian state media reported two Syrian soldiers were killed, and the Israeli press said seven killed overall, leading the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights to declare the other five to be ‘Iranians.’

Exactly what is being attacked is unclear, as Israeli press concedes that the areas where explosions are reported are not generally reported to have any “sensitive” sites to begin with. This too is leading to speculation that the sites are Iranian, since Israel tends to like to attack Iranian targets.

Yet in general, when the Israeli government says “Iranian” they mean non-specific Shi’ite militia groups, as they often don’t try to differentiate. Iraqi militias are far more often targets inside Syria than Iranians, who have a limited presence there.

Israel attacks targets in Syria almost weekly, though they rarely discuss it publicly. The official narrative is that they’re hitting Iran, even when they aren’t, and that more attacks are to be expected. That only a handful of the attacks are acknowledged largely means international complaints are ignored.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.