Israel Forces Strike In Homs, Syria - 2 Civilians Killed, 6 Soldiers Wounded

2 civilians killed, 6 soldiers wounded in Israeli strike in Homs, claims Syria

TOI STAFF

Israeli forces struck a site in Homs in central Syria in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to Syrian state TV. Two civilians were killed and a third civilian was wounded, and six soldiers were injured in the attack, according to reports in Syrian media.

According to reports, Syria’s air defenses were activated in response to the attack. Damage was caused to several structures, the military claimed, according to Reuters. The SANA News Agency claims that Syrian forces shot down several missiles. 

The Syrian military claims to shoot down incoming missiles after nearly every alleged Israeli strike, which Israeli military officials and civilian defense analysts largely dismiss as empty boasts.

There was no comment from the Israel Defense Forces, in line with its policy of ambiguity regarding its specific activities in Syria.

Last Wednesday, Syrian state media reported that the IDF had fired missiles at a target near the capital of Damascus. In that incident, Israeli forces in the Golan Heights fired two surface-to-surface missiles at an empty warehouse south of the city at around 12:45 a.m., according to SANA.

The report said there were no casualties and also claimed that Syrian defenses downed one of the Israeli missiles.

There has been an uptick in the number of strikes allegedly carried out by the Israeli military in recent weeks, including a rare early evening attack in the area of Homs earlier this month.

Wednesday’s predawn attack was the fifth attributed to Israel in the past few weeks.

Israeli officials have expressed increasing concern over the proliferation of Iranian-made surface-to-air missile systems in Syria, as well as the Syrian military’s improved air defense capabilities, which have made it more difficult for the IDF to operate over Syria.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside Syria over the course of the country’s civil war, targeting what it says are suspected arms shipments believed to be bound for Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, which is fighting alongside Syrian government forces.