Israel strikes military sites in central Syria, killing 5

Israeli airstrikes targeted military sites in the countryside of Homs and Hama provinces in central Syria on Sunday, killing five Syrian soldiers and wounding several others, a war monitor reported, said Xinhua.

The strikes targeted three military sites belonging to Syrian government forces, with two located in Homs and one in Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In Homs, Israeli airstrikes hit a military site affiliated with the 19th Air Defense Regiment in the southern region of Shinshar, as well as an ammunition depot in the village of al-Shatai in eastern Homs, said the observatory.

In Hama, the strikes targeted a missile depot west of Salamiyah in eastern Hama, causing a series of explosions and errant missile launches in the surrounding area.

Early reports indicate five soldiers were killed, and a large number of injured were transported to Salamiyah Hospital and Homs National Hospital, according to the observatory.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Defense Ministry said "At approximately 20:05 local time (1705 GMT), the Israeli enemy launched an aerial assault from northern Lebanon, targeting several military sites in the central region, resulting in material losses."

Israel frequently conducts airstrikes in Syria, targeting what it says are positions linked to Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah. The latest attack came amid heightened tensions in the region, as Israel ramped up its airstrikes in Syria over the past week as part of its regional confrontation with Iran and Hezbollah.