3 servicemen killed as Syria defenses confront ‘hostile’ Israeli targets

The Syrian military says three servicemen have been killed as the Arab country’s air defenses confronted ‘hostile’ Israeli targets over the city of Tartus and the nearby mountain range of Qalamoun.

The military made the announcement on Sunday, saying three more servicemen had also been wounded during the attacks.

Citing its correspondent in the area, Iran’s Arabic-language news network al-Alam said the Israeli missiles had targeted the southern part of Tartus, on the western coastline of Syria.

The network’s reporter said three explosions had rung out across Tartus’ skies, adding that ambulances and relief workers had been dispatched to the area.

A military source told SANA, “Our air defense confronted the aggression, downed some of the missiles.”

Lebanese media outlets said the attack had been carried out by Israeli warplanes from the Lebanese airspace. The Israeli regime’s Channel 12 confirmed that the attack had been carried out by the regime’s assault aircraft.

Syria and the Israeli regime are technically at war due to the latter’s 1967-to-present occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights.

Israel maintains a significant military presence in the territory, which it uses as one of its launchpads for attacks against the Syrian soil.

The regime’s attacks on Syria started to grow significantly in scale and frequency after 2011, when Syria found itself in the grip of rampant foreign-backed militancy and terrorism.