Strikes kill 14 Iranian, Iraqi fighters in Syria

DAMASCUS－A total of 14 Iranian and Iraqi fighters were killed overnight by Israeli airstrikes on areas in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour, a war monitor reported Tuesday.

The strikes targeted positions of the pro-Syrian government Iranian and Iraqi fighters in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The death toll is likely to rise given the number of the critically wounded, it added.

On Monday night, Israel launched airstrikes on areas in Deir al-Zour and the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.

It was the latest in a spat of airstrikes carried out by Israel on military sites in Syria.

The Syrian air defenses on Monday responded to an Israeli strike in the country's northern province of Aleppo, state news agency SANA reported.

Citing a military source, the report said warplanes were seen on the radar system and fired missiles on several military depots.

The Israelis usually strike military sites in Damascus and in Homs, but their strikes in Aleppo are rare. A regional intelligence source said Israel was stepping up raids in Syria at a time when the world and the region, including Syria, was distracted by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

An Israeli army spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

On April 30, Israeli helicopters fired missiles on targets in southern Syria, causing damage.

On April 27, three civilians were killed and four others wounded in an Israeli strike in the Damascus countryside.

Israel has carried out dozens of missile attacks in the ongoing Syrian conflict claiming it's targeting Iranian positions in the country. Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett told Israeli media last week that Israel would step up its campaign against Iran in Syria.

Meanwhile, the government in Damascus has officially recorded 44 cases of COVID-19, including three deaths, while Kurdish authorities in the country's northeast have announced three cases in areas under their control.

While there are still limited cases in the country, escalating tensions on the ground can add to difficulties in stemming the spread of coronavirus.

"Although the numbers are limited, this doesn't mean they can't explode suddenly in a matter of days or maybe weeks," Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned in a video shared on the presidency's social media channels.

Xinhua - Agencies