Israeli Airstrikes Target Syria and Kill Two Syrian Soldiers

The strikes hit targets near the western port city of Tartous

Israeli airstrikes hit targets near Syria’s Mediterranean Sea port city of Tartous on Wednesday, killing two Syrian soldiers, Syria’s SANA news agency reported.

The report said the strikes targeted air defense positions. On top of the two Syrian soldiers that were killed, six more were wounded, and there was material damage.

“At 17:22 this afternoon, the Israeli enemy carried out aggression with bursts of rockets from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, targeting some of our air defense positions in Tartous,” a military source told SANA.

The strike marked a rare daytime attack, as Israeli airstrikes on Syria are typically launched late at night or early in the morning. The attack on Tartous marked at least the 24th Israeli bombing of Syria this year.

Israeli officials frame their airstrikes in Syria as operations against Iran and Hezbollah, but they often kill Syrians and damage civilian infrastructure. The last known Israeli airstrike in Syria was on August 28 and temporarily put the Aleppo airport out of service.

Earlier this year, Israeli Defense Yoav Gallant said that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled airstrikes in Syria since it came to power at the end of December 2022.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.