Israeli jets hit Syria army position in Hama Province, kill 2 soldiers

The image taken from social media shows the site of a reported Israeli strike in Masyaf, Hama Province, Syria, September 7, 2017.

At least two Syrian soldiers have been killed after Israeli fighter jets targeted an army position in the west-central province of Hama, in yet another act of aggression against the Arab country

“Israeli warplanes at 2:42 a.m. today fired a number of missiles from Lebanese air space, targeting one of our military positions near Masyaf, which led to material damage and the deaths of two members of the site,” the army said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement further warned against the “dangerous repercussions of this aggressive action to the security and stability of the region.”

“This aggression comes in a desperate attempt to raise the collapsed morale of the ISIS (Daesh) terrorists after the sweeping victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army against terrorism at more than one front, and it affirms the direct support provided by the Israeli entity to the ISIS and other terrorist organizations,” it added.

Masyaf is located approximately 60 kilometers east of the coastal city of Tartus, where Russia holds a naval base.

Earlier media reports said the Israeli military had struck a scientific research facility in Masyaf.

Citing pro-government activists, Al-Masdar News, a pan-Arab news and commentary website, said Thursday that Israeli warplanes targeted the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) in Masyaf in Hama.

Meanwhile the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two facilities were hit, a scientific research center and a nearby military base. It said the Israeli assault also wounded five people.

“Many explosions were heard in the area after the air raid,” said the group’s head, Rami Abdulrahman, adding that some of the blasts may have been secondary explosions from a missile storage facility being hit.

Israeli officials have not immediately commented on the reports.

Over the past years, the Israeli military has carried out sporadic attacks against various targets across Syria in what Damascus views as an attempt to boost the Takfiri terror groups that have been taking heavy blows from the Syrian army and allied forces on the battle ground.

The latest Israeli strike comes just days after the Syrian army, backed by popular defense groups and Russia airpower, managed to break the years-long siege imposed by the Daesh terror group on the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr.