Israeli Raids Target Golan Heights, Eastern Syria Amid Border Tensions

CAIRO – Arab and Syrian government media report a series of Israeli airstrikes over the Golan Heights and near the Syrian border with Iraq. More than a dozen pro-Iranian Iraqi militiamen reportedly were killed at a base near the Syrian border town of Alboukamel. Russian planes also reportedly raided areas around the opposition held enclave of Idlib.

Syrian TV reported that Israeli warplanes carried out a number of airstrikes over the region of Quneitra on the Golan Heights, following what Israel said was an attempted attack Monday by four pro-Syrian militia fighters on the Israeli-held territory.

Israeli tanks carried out maneuvers near the border with Lebanon and Syria during the past 24 hours, amid tensions with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah group. Arab media reports say that Hezbollah is seeking to retaliate for the killing last month of one of its commanders in an Israeli raid near Damascus.

Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Arab media that about 15 pro-Iranian Iraqi militia fighters were killed in a separate Israeli airstrike on an Iranian base near the eastern Syrian border town of Alboukamel. He says that Israel has carried out nearly 20 raids on Syrian territory in the past four months.

In separate developments, Russian warplanes targeted Syrian opposition forces over the town of Binesh, near the opposition enclave of Idlib, according to the Saudi-owned Asharqalawsat newspaper. Casualties also were reported in fighting between government forces and opposition fighters on the outskirts of Lattaqiya.

Clashes were reported outside of Deir el-Zour in eastern Syria between Arab villagers and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, following the death of an Arab tribal leader. Syrian government TV says a second Arab tribal leader was wounded. Kurdish media says Islamic State fighters killed the tribal leader to provoke violence.