Air strikes hit Syrian coastal province
Loud explosions have shaken Syria’s coastal province of Latakia, sending orange flames into the sky in what state media said was an Israeli attack targeting a state company for technical industries.
Explosions continued for nearly half an hour, state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV said, airing footage showing streaks of white light flashing across the sky.
It said 10 people were injured, with eight treated in hospital.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which initially reported the explosions, also reported 10 wounded, saying all of them were soldiers and some were in critical condition.
An unidentified military official was quoted as saying Syrian air defences intercepted some missiles heading for the provincial capital of Latakia from the sea. There was no immediate word on casualties.
The Observatory said the target appeared to be an ammunition depot, part of the compound of the state Institute for Technical Industries.
The war monitoring group said it was not clear if the depot was for Iranian or Syrian forces.
The strikes followed a similar attack on Damascus International Airport late on Saturday, which Syrian state media also blamed on Israel. A military official quoted on state media said Syrian air defences intercepted some missiles coming from the sea.
Israel is widely believed to have been behind a series of air strikes mainly targeting Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria that have joined the country’s war fighting alongside the government.
Israel rarely acknowledges attacks inside Syria, but has said it will use military action to prevent weapons transfers to its enemies.
Earlier this month, an Israeli military official said the Jewish state had struck more than 200 Iranian targets in Syria over the past 18 months.
US and Israeli officials have said Iran and Hezbollah should end their armed presence in Syria. Israel says it will not tolerate Iran’s growing presence in Syria.