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Syrian Media: Israeli Airstrikes Kill 5 Pro-Iranian Fighters

Linda Gradstein

   JERUSALEM - Syrian state media reports say Israel carried out
   airstrikes in Syria near Damascus Monday for the first time in several
   weeks, targeting Iranian-linked sites and killing at least five
   Iranian-backed fighters. Israel has not confirmed it was behind the
   airstrikes, which come after a series'Żof explosions in Iran itself
   over the past few weeks. While Israel may not have been responsible for
   all of the attacks in Iran -- some observers in Israel argue Iran could
   strike Israel as a way of diverting attention from sanctions and the
   COVID-19 pandemic.

   The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group in Britain,
   said there were several explosions around the town of Kisweh, a town
   that has long been associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
   The airstrikes hit weapons depots and military positions belonging to
   Iran-backed militia fighters.

   The Syrian news agency blamed Israel, saying the missiles were fired
   from the Golan Heights. Israel did not confirm it was behind the
   attack. Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of similar attacks in
   the past.

   The strikes also raise tensions between Israel and Iran - already
   running high. A series of fires and explosions over the past ten days
   in Iran has also contributed. Most notably was an explosion in the
   Natanz area at a plant where centrifuges were manufactured that
   analysts in Israel said would delay Iran's nuclear program by at least
   a year.

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