The national air defences downed several Israeli missiles during predawn raids on Latakia, the Syrian army confirmed Tuesday.
The Israeli aerial strikes soon after 2 am hit several areas along the southwest coast of Latakia. According to the Syrian army communique, the national aerial defences intercepted the aggressors’ missiles and downed some of them. The officials added that one civilian was killed and six injured in one of the strikes that hit a civilian plastics factory in the Mediterranean port city.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Earlier, the Israelis attack also hit the town of Hifa and Misyaf in Hama province. However, they rarely hit Latakia, which is close to Russia’s main airbase of Hmeimim, The National has learned.
A senior military defector said the Israeli raid struck several areas in the town of Jabla in northwestern Latakia province, a bastion of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s minority Alawite sect that dominates the army and security forces.
Iran’s proxy militias led by Lebanon’s Hezbollah now hold sway over vast areas in eastern, southern and northwestern Syria, as well as several suburbs around Damascus. They also control Lebanese-Syrian border areas.
Israel has said its goal is to end Tehran’s military presence in Syria, which Western intelligence sources say has expanded in recent years.
