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Alleged Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian and Syrian government targets in Syria

The Syrian government and the opposition suspect Israel has carried out numerous airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria this year.

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Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike targeting south of the capital Damascus, on July 20, 2020. Israeli strikes south of the Syrian capital wounded seven Syrian soldiers, state media reported, in an attack that a war monitor said hit several positions of regime forces and Iran-backed militias. — STR/AFP via Getty Images

Alleged Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed pro-Syrian government forces on Monday night. Israel is suspected of carrying out several bombings of Iranian targets in Syria this year.

The suspected Israeli bombs struck south and southwest of Damascus late last night, according to the UK-based and pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Five members of an Iran-backed militia were killed. Four members of the militia and seven government soldiers were also injured. The airstrikes destroyed a missile depot and also damaged weapons and ammunition warehouses, the Observatory reported.

The Syrian state-run outlet SANA also reported that Israeli missiles hit south of Damascus. Seven government soldiers were hurt, and the missiles were fired from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Syrian air defenses intercepted some of the missiles, according to SANA.

Israel rarely comments on its military operations abroad, but the Syrian government, Syrian rebels and some regional intelligence sources believe they often strike Iranian targets in Syria and the region. Most recently, in late June, suspected Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian government and Iran-backed militia targets in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province and near the central city of Hama.

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