Israeli strikes on Syrian military sites kill 16, state media say

BBC:

At least 16 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on a number of military sites in central Syria, the Syrian state news agency reports.

Sana cited a health official as saying that another 36 people were wounded in the attacks in the vicinity of Masyaf, in Hama province, on Sunday night.

A UK-based monitoring group reported that 25 people were killed and that the five targets included a scientific research centre allegedly linked to chemical weapons production.

The Israeli military said it would not comment on foreign media reports of the strikes, which Syria’s foreign ministry condemned as “blatant aggression” and Iran’s foreign ministry called a “criminal attack”.

However, Israel has previously acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran – Israel’s main foe – and allied armed groups.

The Israeli strikes have reportedly been stepped up since the start of the war in Gaza in October last year, in response to cross-border attacks on northern Israel by Hezbollah and other groups in Lebanon and Syria.