BEIRUT: Air strikes in eastern Syria “likely” launched by Israel killed on Saturday at least 19 militants supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a war monitor said, reporting three more dead in the country’s north.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 19 militants, including four Syrians, and six Iraqis, were killed and more than 18 were wounded in at least nine air strikes overnight near the Iraqi border.

It said the raids were “likely carried out by Israel”, after earlier indicating they were “likely American”.

A US military official, requesting anonymity, said the “US did not conduct any defensive strikes overnight”.

The Observatory said the strikes targeted military positions in Albu Kamal and its surroundings in Deir Ezzor province, adding that a weapons shipment from Iraq and an ammunition warehouse were also hit.

Later on Saturday, the Observatory said that “Israeli missiles targeted warehouses and bases” of militants in northern Syria in an area near the Aleppo airport, killing three and wounding several others.

Syrian state media, citing a military source, said that at around 5:20pm (1420 GMT), “the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack... targeting a number of points south of the city of Aleppo”, reporting only “material damage”.

During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting forces backing Assad’s regime, as well as army positions.

But it has intensified attacks since the Gaza crisis began on October 7, as tensions rise across the Middle East.

Iranian state media said an Israeli strike on Monday near Damascus killed Razi Moussavi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Overnight in southern Syria’s Quneitra province, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, “Israeli ground bombardment” killed two militants, said the Britain-based Observatory.

The Israeli army had said early Saturday that it was carrying out strikes in Syria after two rockets fired from the country fell into territory under its control.

The army did not give the precise location where they fell.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement announced on Saturday the death of four of its fighters. It was unclear where they were killed.

The Middle East has also seen a surge in attacks on US forces across the region, since the start of the Gaza crisis.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2023