Syrian officials say a series of Israeli strikes have hit multiple areas in central Syria, killing 18 people and wounding dozens of others.
State news agency SANA reported on Monday that Syrian air defences “confronted an aggression that targeted several points in the central region”, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires that firefighting teams were battling to control.
Four people were initially reported killed, but Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash later said later on Monday the death toll had risen to 18, with about 40 others wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said there were 25 fatalities, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
But Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel claimed the victims were “mostly civilians” and that they were targeted. He added that the strikes had caused significant damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
Health Minister al-Ghabbash described the attack as “barbaric aggression” from Israel.
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