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Israel confirms 200 strikes in Syria in 18 months
JERUSALEM, Sept 4, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An Israeli military official said
Tuesday the army had carried out some 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18
months against mainly Iranian targets, a rare confirmation of such action.
A total of 202 strikes were carried out in neighbouring Syria, the official
said, all of which involved “military targets, most of them belonging to the
(Iranian) Revolutionary Guards.”
Around 800 missiles and bombs were used in the strikes, said the official
who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm the details first reported in
various Israeli media.
Israel has pledged to prevent its main enemy Iran from entrenching itself
militarily in Syria, where Tehran is backing President Bashar al-Assad in the
ongoing civil war.
A series of strikes that have killed Iranians in Syria have been attributed
to Israel in recent months, but the Israeli military rarely confirms them.
Israel has previously acknowledged carrying out dozens of strikes in Syria
against what it describes as advanced arms deliveries to Hezbollah, the
Iranian-backed Shiite group.
Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is another of Israel’s enemies which is
backing Assad in the Syrian conflict.
The rare confirmation of strikes comes after Israeli Defence Minister
Avigdor Lieberman signalled his country could hit Iranian targets in Iraq if
they threatened Israel.
“We will face any Iranian threat, no matter where it comes from,” Lieberman
said Monday.
The defence minister was speaking following reports that Iran had provided
ballistic missiles to allied Shiite militias in Iraq in recent months.
“Our freedom of action is total,” Lieberman added.
The Israeli military official did not comment directly on those reports on
Tuesday, but said the army was aware of missile transfers from Iran to Iraq
and then on to Syria.
BSS/AFP/MRI/2257 HRS