DAMASCUS, Syria: The Syrian Ministry of Defence announced on Friday that eight soldiers were wounded in an Israeli airstrike near Damascus.
The ministry said in a statement that on Thursday night the Israeli enemy launched air strikes from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a site near Damascus and injuring eight soldiers.
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes, but has repeatedly said it will not allow arch-rival Iran to expand its presence in Syria.
Israel’s military has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in its northern neighbour in 2011, mostly targeting Iranian-backed military positions and fighters.
But the attacks increased after the start of war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
On April 19, the Syrian government and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that Israeli military strikes had targeted Syrian army positions in the south of the country, while US media reported that Israel had attacked Iran.
On the night of April 13, Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation for a deadly attack on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, which was blamed for a massive attack on Israel.
Syria’s war has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions since it began in March 2011 with the suppression of anti-government protests.
