Israeli airstrike in Syria leaves 2 dead

Damascus: Syria’s military said Israeli warplanes attacked army positions in the country’s central region early Wednesday, leaving two civilians dead and seven people wounded — six of them soldiers. State media quoted an unnamed military official as saying the warplanes fired missiles while flying over the airspace of neighbouring Lebanon.

The official said that Syria’s air defenses shot down most of the missiles, adding that in addition to the casualties there was also some material damage.

A Syrian opposition war monitor said the strikes hit positions housing Syrian fighters loyal to Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, west of the central city of Homs.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes killed four, including two who lost their lives when they were hit by parts of a Syrian surface-to-air missile that fell in the central city of Homs. There was no comment from the Israeli military.