JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel carried out air strikes against Syrian military targets in Homs and the outskirts of Damascus, killing at least four civilians and wounding 21 others, Syrian state media reported Monday.

"A military source said that the army air defenses confronted hostile missiles launched by Israeli warplanes at midnight from Lebanese airspace towards some of our military sites in Homs and the surrounding of Damascus," SANA reported.

State media said a month-old baby was among those killed in an airstrike on Sahnaya, a neighborhood near Damascus.

When asked about the report an Israeli spokeswoman said, "We don't comment on such reports."

The Syrian Observatory for Human rights, a UK based watchdog group, said Israel was targeting Iranian linked bases, including a base where Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces are headquartered.

SANA reported that the Syrian air defenses intercepted a number of the missiles.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says have targeted the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group.

Monday's air strikes were some the most extensive ones is several months and come after an unprecedented trilateral meeting with Russia and the United States with the goal of counteracting Iranian interests in the region. </s> Still from footage showing surface to air missiles launched by Syrian military in Homs, Syria July 1, 2019.

Sixteen people including a baby were killed and 21 were wounded by an Israeli attack on multiple Syrian and Iranian targets on the outskirts of Damascus and Homs, Syrian state-run al-Ikhbariya broadcaster reported. The targets were Iranian arms supplies for Hezbollah.

Israeli warplanes fired missiles at Syria that targeted Syrian military positions in Homs and Sahnaya, south of Damascus, the Syrian military said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Turkish-held Cyprus said a Syrian anti-aircraft missile that was fired at Israeli jets landed north of Nicosia. No casualties were reported.

Alleged Israeli strikes in Syria, May-July 2019.

"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, part of the air defense system, which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed," Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a social media post.

The object hit a mountainside north of the capital Nicosia.

skip - Syria strike

Very important footage showing probably the #Israeli Delilah cruise missiles above the #Lebanese coast heading to #Syria this night pic.twitter.com/xgDrJfvCZC — Mohamed Mansour 🇪🇬 (@Mansourtalk) July 1, 2019

Syrian air defenses confronted the attack, which was launched from Lebanese airspace, the Syrian defense ministry said in a brief report on its Telegram feed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people were killed, among them three children and ten Iranian militias and Hezbollah members. The observatory added that the Israeli Navy also took part in the strike, targeting ten Hezbollah bases, including compounds that were used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

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SANA said the dead included a baby and that other children were among the wounded in Sahnaya. It was unclear whether the civilians were killed in the strike or in the resulting blasts.

Social media pages affiliated with the Assad regime have been sharing posts saying a man named Anas Albiat and his wife Rama Arnaout. along with their infant son, were killed in the strike.

According to the observatory, among the sites hit were Revolutionary Guards' compounds south of Damascus, a strategic research center northwest of Damascus, Hezbollah facilities near the Syrian-Lebanese border, where large fires were reported after several arms depots were hit.

In addition, a research center in Homs was reportedly struck, in addition to an airbase south of Homs that serves Iranian and Hezbollah forces.

The Israeli army has yet to comment on the incident.

Syrian state TV station al-Ikhbariya, citing its correspondent, said the pressure of explosions over Damascus had caused damage to some homes in Sahnaya, south of the capital, breaking glass and slightly injuring a number of people.

skip - Remains of Syrian missile in Cyprus

Regarding the crash site in North #Cyprus

One of the objects I could ID is the remain of an S-200 missile launched from #Syria on the Israeli jets. pic.twitter.com/YR99G75sQ8 — Syrian Military Capabilities (@Syrian_MC) July 1, 2019

State news agency SANA cited its correspondent as saying Syrian air defenses had brought down a number of the missiles.

In recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says have targeted its regional arch foe, Iran, and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it calls the biggest threat to its borders.

Iran and Hezbollah are fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in the Syrian war, and Israel says they are trying to turn Syria into a new front against Israelis.

On June 12, SANA reported that Syrian Air Defenses thwarted an Israeli attack on Tal al-Hara in southern Syria and shot down a number of missiles.

Located in Daraa Governorate, Tal al-Hara is considered as a strategic hill overlooking the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

The missile attack resulted only in damage and Israel then conducted an “electronic war” in which radars were subjected to interference, SANA added.

Hours after the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a message saying that Israel responds "decisively and forcibly to any attack against us," yet did not claim responsibility for the alleged attack.

Earlier in June, Syrian state media said Israeli missiles were fired toward a Syrian military base in Homs, a day after Israel confirmed it had struck Syrian targets on Saturday in retaliation for rocket fire toward the Golan Heights. </s> Damascus: Four civilians, including a toddler, were killed and 21 injured in Israeli missile strikes near Damascus late Sunday, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.

An AFP correspondent in Damascus reported hearing loud explosions during the night. The Syrian news agency said the missiles struck near Damascus and in Homs province.

"Our air defences confronted enemy missiles launched by Israeli warplanes (...) towards some of our positions in Homs and in the vicinity of Damascus," SANA said, quoting a Syrian military source.

No details were given on the positions. An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the strikes hit several Iranian positions near Damascus and targeted a research centre and a military airport west of the city of Homs where the Hezbollah Shiite movement and Iranians are deployed. Rami Abdel Rahman, the observatory chief, said the strikes injured some of these forces.

Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, targeting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the regime's allies Iran and Hezbollah. </s> At least 4 people, including a baby, were killed in the strikes on the Damascus countryside, while 21 others suffered injuries, according to state TV. One of those injured is a month-old baby girl, who suffered burns and facial wounds. Besides the casualties, a number of houses on the outskirts of Damascus suffered “material damage.”

Syrian air defenses have responded to apparent missile attacks in the vicinity of Damascus and Homs, SANA reports, with its military source claiming that a number of ‘hostile targets’ have been intercepted.

The missiles were launched from Lebanese airspace, where Israeli aircraft were spotted making low-altitude flights around the time of the incident, according to TV channel Al-Mayadeen, Al-Masdar News, and other regional sources.

The targets allegedly included Mezzeh military airport near Damascus, as well as the nearby towns of Jamraya, Sahnaya, and Daraya. Another site was also targeted in Homs Governorate, near the Lebanese border.

Israel has repeatedly carried out cross-border raids into Syria in the past, but has rarely admitted this. It has yet to comment on the latest incident. However, in recent weeks, Tel Aviv confirmed striking multiple Syrian Army installations in retaliation for cross-border tensions surrounding the occupied Golan Heights.

Damascus has urged the UN to put an end to these blatant sovereignty violations by Israel on several occasions. The Syrian government believes that Israeli strikes only bolster the fighting spirit of the remaining terrorists in the country. </s> Syrian military air defences struck an Israeli warplane and shot down Israeli missiles targeting the T4 air base in Homs province in response to an act of 'aggression' on Sunday night, Syrian state media said.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that a missile bombardment killed an unspecified number of 'Iranian and pro-regime fighters' at the T-4 base and was 'likely to be Israeli'.

'Our air defences are responding to an Israeli aggression and intercepting a number of missiles targeting the airport, hitting one of the attacking planes and forcing the rest to leave the airspace,' the official SANA news agency reported.

In addition to the Syrian army, Iranian fighters and Lebanese Hezbollah troops are also stationed at the air base, according to the Observatory.

The facility has previously been targeted by repeated strikes Damascus blamed on Israel.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said Israel does not comment on foreign reports.

Israel has grown deeply alarmed by the expanding clout of its arch enemy Iran during the seven-year war in neighbouring Syria.

Israel's air force has struck scores of targets it describes as Iranian deployments or arms transfers to Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Damascus, as well as its allies Iran and Russia, blamed Israel for an April 9 air strike on the same Homs base, an attack that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members. Tehran vowed at the time to respond.

Syrian state news agency SANA said the missile attack on Sunday caused only material damage.

'Our air defence systems thwarted an Israeli aggression and brought down a number of missiles that were targeting the T4 airport,' it cited a military source as saying.

The air defences hit one of the 'attacking planes and forced the rest to leave' Syrian air space, it added.

In May, Israel said it attacked Tehran's military infrastructure in Syria, accusing Iranian forces of firing rockets at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in the most extensive military exchange between the two foes.

An Israeli-Iranian showdown also flared over Syria in February, when Israel said an armed drone coming from the T4 base penetrated its air space.

Israel blew up the drone and carried out a raid on Syrian air defenses, in which one of its F-16 jets was downed. </s> Syria on Sunday accused Israel of targeting an airbase in the central province of Homs, saying its defences hit a jet involved in the third such attack in five months.

“Our air defences are responding to an Israeli aggression and intercepting a number of missiles targeting the airport, hitting one of the attacking planes and forcing the rest to leave the airspace,” the official SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that a missile bombardment killed an unspecified number of “Iranian and pro-regime fighters” at the T-4 base and was “likely to be Israeli”.

In addition to the Syrian army, Iranian fighters and Lebanese Hezbollah troops are also stationed at the airbase, according to the Observatory.

The facility has previously been targeted by repeated strikes Damascus blamed on Israel.

An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the latest incident, saying: “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media”.

Syrian state outlets published a video of a flash in the dark sky, claiming it showed the air defences responding to the bombardment.

Since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has repeatedly targeted positions of the Syrian army and Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah backing it inside the country.

Israel usually does not claim the strikes, but has long said it will not allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria.

On April 9, missiles targeted the T-4 airbase in the central province of Homs, killing up to 14 fighters, including seven Iranians.

Moscow, Tehran and Damascus accused Israel of also carrying out those raids.

The airbase was also hit on February 10, after Israel accused Iranian forces at the T-4 base of sending a drone into Israeli territory.

After bombing Iranian units in Syria in retaliation, an Israeli F-16 was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire.

Israel then carried out what it called “large-scale” raids on Syrian air defence systems and Iranian targets, which reportedly included T-4.

Israel seized a large swathe of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community.

The two countries are technically still at war.

In May there was an unprecedented escalation between Israel and Iran in Syria, with the Israeli army claiming it hit dozens of Iranian military targets across the border in response to what it said were rockets fired by Iranians at the occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that Israel would “not tolerate the Iranian military entrenchment in Syria”.

“The consequences are not merely to the Iranian forces there but to the Assad regime as well,” he said.

Sunday’s strikes coincided with regime progress, backed by Russian support, in the nearby southern province of Daraa.

After a blistering military operation and a ceasefire deal with rebels, government forces are re-establishing control over the entire southern province on the border with Israel. </s> BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state news agency SANA said on Saturday that Syrian air defences were responding to a “new Israeli aggression” and a military source said the defences had thwarted attacks on military positions in the south of the country.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli military said an Israeli F-16 jet crashed in northern Israel during a mission to strike an Iranian drone installation that launched a drone into Israeli-held territory.

“The Israeli enemy has resumed aggression on some military positions in the southern region and our air defences have responded to them and thwarted the aggression,” a Syrian military source said in a statement.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel has been targeting areas in the countryside southwest of the capital Damascus and in the eastern countryside of Homs province for several hours since dawn.

One set of raids hit positions belonging to the Syrian government and its allies in central Syria around the T4 airbase and in the Homs desert, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Another set of raids hit southwest of Damascus. </s> FILE PHOTO: A man sits near a poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the re-opening of the road between Homs and Hama in Talbisi, Syria June 6, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki/File Photo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian military air defenses struck an Israeli warplane and shot down Israeli missiles targeting the T4 air base in Homs province in response to an act of “aggression” on Sunday night, Syrian state media said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said Israel does not comment on foreign reports.

Israel has grown deeply alarmed by the expanding clout of its arch enemy Iran during the seven-year war in neighboring Syria. Israel’s air force has struck scores of targets it describes as Iranian deployments or arms transfers to Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Damascus, as well as its allies Iran and Russia, blamed Israel for an April 9 air strike on the same Homs base, an attack that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members. Tehran vowed at the time to respond.

Syrian state news agency SANA said the missile attack on Sunday caused only material damage.

“Our air defense systems thwarted an Israeli aggression and brought down a number of missiles that were targeting the T4 airport,” it cited a military source as saying.

The air defenses hit one of the “attacking planes and forced the rest to leave” Syrian air space, it added.

In May, Israel said it attacked Tehran’s military infrastructure in Syria, accusing Iranian forces of firing rockets at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in the most extensive military exchange between the two foes.

An Israeli-Iranian showdown also flared over Syria in February, when Israel said an armed drone coming from the T4 base penetrated its air space. Israel blew up the drone and carried out a raid on Syrian air defenses, in which one of its F-16 jets was downed. </s> BEIRUT, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Syrian state news agency SANA said on Saturday that Syrian air defences were responding to a “new Israeli aggression” and a military source said the defences had thwarted attacks on military positions in the south of the country.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli military said an Israeli F-16 jet crashed in northern Israel during a mission to strike an Iranian drone installation that launched a drone into Israeli-held territory.

“The Israeli enemy has resumed aggression on some military positions in the southern region and our air defences have responded to them and thwarted the aggression,” a Syrian military source said in a statement.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel has been targeting areas in the countryside southwest of the capital Damascus and in the eastern countryside of Homs province for several hours since dawn.

One set of raids hit positions belonging to the Syrian government and its allies in central Syria around the T4 airbase and in the Homs desert, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Another set of raids hit southwest of Damascus.
Israel strikes multiple Iranian and Syrian military targets outside Damascus and Homs, killing 16 people and wounding 21.