Israeli rocket attacks in Syria kill six, says human rights monitor

• Israel hits targets in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced.
• He said six Iranian-backed foreign paramilitaries were killed.
• Israel would not comment on the attack.

Israeli missile strikes in Syria killed at least six Iranian-backed fighters on Friday, a war monitor said.

The dead were all foreign paramilitaries fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The rockets, which were fired from Lebanese airspace, hit positions held by Iran-backed militias in the Masyaf district of Hama province, Observatory chief Rami Abdul Rahman said.

One also targeted a government-run research center where surface-to-surface missiles are developed and stored, the Britain-based observer said.

Iranian experts are believed to be working at the research center.

The Israeli military said it would not comment on foreign media reports.

The Masyaf research center has been hit several times by Israeli attacks in recent years, the Observatory said.

According to the United States, sarin gas was being developed in the center, a claim denied by Syrian authorities, who say the country has not possessed chemical weapons since disbanding its arsenal under a 2013 deal.

The Syrian state news agency SANA said the air defense captured missiles fired by Israel at Masyaf.

“Our air defense intercepted an Israeli attack in the Masyaf area,” SANA reported.

He said air defenses hit “most” missiles before they reached their target.

State television broadcast footage claiming to show air defense in response to the Israeli attack.

Israeli activity in the skies was heard over parts of neighboring Lebanon, where many people took to social media to denounce the Christmas Day attack.

Israel has launched hundreds of attacks in Syria since the start of the 2011 civil war.

It has targeted government troops, Iranian allied forces and fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

He rarely confirms the details of his operations in Syria, but says Iran’s presence in support of President Bashar al-Assad is a threat to which he will continue to respond.