Israeli airstrikes target 10 Syria-Lebanon border crossings, killing 6

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting 10 official and unofficial border crossings between Syria and Lebanon after midnight Wednesday, killing six people and wounding more than 15 others, reported Xinhua, quoting Syrian state media and monitoring groups.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli aircraft struck official crossings at al-Arida in the countryside of the northwestern province of Tartus for the first time, as well as Daboussieh and Jousieh in the countryside of the central province of Homs.

Unofficial crossings in Wadi Khaled in rural Homs and three bridges over the al-Kabir River, which separates Syria and Lebanon, were also targeted, according to the watchdog group.

Syrian state television reported that 18 people were injured at the al-Arida crossing, with three in critical condition. A report from Sham FM radio reported six deaths and 15 injuries at the Daboussieh crossing in Homs.

In rural Damascus, Israeli jets targeted unofficial crossings in the areas of Juroud Qusaya and Juroud Nabi Sheet near the towns of Serghaya and Zabadani. No immediate information on casualties was available.

With the latest strikes, the majority of land crossings between Syria and Lebanon have been rendered out of service, according to the observatory.

The escalation could sever any possible supply routes for Hezbollah from Syria, said the observatory, as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is expected to go into effect early Wednesday.