An Iranian military base near Damascus came under attack just after midnight Saturday by missiles from the Israeli military, according to Lebanon’s Al-Mustaqbal TV and the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network.
Twelve Iranian military personnel were killed in the air strike, Syrian sources claim that they intercepted and shot down two Israeli missiles.
Arab media reports said Israel fired missiles at a military base Iran has been building near the Syrian city of al-Qiswa, reportedly destroying an arms depot.
Some media outlets affiliated with the Assad regime and Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah initially reported that Israeli warplanes targeted an ammunition bunker belonging to the Syrian Army. But other media outlets reported that the target was a military base that Iran is building in the area, 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Israeli border, and that loud explosions were heard after the attack.
There was no immediate official Israeli comment. Israel does not, as a rule, comment on reported strikes in Syria.
Hours after the reported strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a warning to Iran about troops in Syria.
“Let me reiterate Israel’s policy: We will not allow a regime hell-bent on the annihilation of the Jewish state to acquire nuclear weapons. We will not allow that regime to entrench itself militarily in Syria, as it seeks to do, for the express purpose of eradicating our state,” said Netanyahu.
Israel has stated that the Iranians were trying to build a permanent base in Syria, close to the Israeli border. As their aims are to build up a larger presence in the Mediterranean. Thus far, Tehran has been silent over this latest development.
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