Syrian government denounces Israeli attack in western Syria

9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Syrian government reported early Tuesday morning that an airstrike was carried out by the Israeli army against a rural area near the coastal city of Baniyas, located in the Tartus governorate, in the west of the country, which caused “some material losses.”

The attack took place at around 00:20 (23:20 CET) when “the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the Mediterranean Sea, west of Baniyas, targeting one of the points near the city,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Defense published on its Facebook profile.

However, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reports in Syria, has reported that two explosions have occurred in Baniyas, where pro-Iranian militias are present, but has indicated that it is not certain that they were caused by Israel.

Israeli authorities have acknowledged the attacks in Syria, saying they are acting to prevent Tehran from establishing Iranian bases and sending weapons to the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the war that broke out in 2011 after the violent repression of pro-democracy demonstrations during the “Arab Spring.”