Separate Israeli and U.S. airstrikes in Syria targeted Iranian proxies on Wednesday night, according to Syrian media and the Pentagon.
“At approximately 22:50 p.m. today, the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the direction of Baalbek in Lebanon, targeting some military points in the southern region, causing some material losses,” Syria’s official news agency SANA said, quoting a military source.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Israel had struck Hezbollah facilities near Damascus, as well as a Syrian air defense site. Israeli officials did not confirm the attacks.
Over the past several years, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria on positions and weapons belonging to Hezbollah, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and other proxy militias backed by Tehran, as well as Syrian army positions.
Israeli officials have acknowledged the strikes in a general way but rarely comment on specific attacks.
Meanwhile, a Pentagon official told reporters that U.S. aircraft struck a weapons warehouse belonging to the IRGC in eastern Syria. The strikes follow a rising number of attacks on U.S. forces by Iran-backed militias. The official said the strike triggered secondary explosions, suggesting the presence of weapons.
The attack marked the second time since Oct. 27 that the United States has struck assets belonging to Iran and its proxy forces. The strikes were prompted by rocket and drone attacks on American forces stationed in Syria and Iraq. According to the Pentagon, 45 U.S. personnel have been injured in those attacks.
Last week, Israeli warplanes hit several sites in southern Syria in response to earlier rocket fire on the Golan Heights.
The IDF said it struck the launchers responsible for the cross-border fire.
All of the projectiles launched from Syria landed in open areas, causing no injuries or damage.
Alleged Israeli strikes have repeatedly put Damascus and Aleppo airports out of service.
