Israeli Strike On Syria Kills Four Soldiers, Wounds Three

An Israeli missile attack on suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus killed four soldiers and wounded three others, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said earlier in the day that the missiles were fired from northern Israel shortly after midnight and that most of them were shot down.

The ministry said the attack on the suburbs of Damascus caused material damage, but gave no further details.

The attacks came hours after the Israeli military said an Israeli drone crashed on the Syrian side of the border Tuesday, adding that an investigation was opened into the case.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the strikes on several suburbs of Damascus hit arms depots for Iran-backed groups.

There was no comment from the Israeli military on the attacks near Damascus.

It was the latest attack on Syria since April 14, when several missiles hit Syrian army positions near Damascus.

Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

It has acknowledged, however, that it targets the bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that has fighters deployed in Syria. It says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.

Israel justifies its strikes on facilities and weapons inside Syria by saying that an Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line.