Illustrative image. Source: the Israeli Air Force.
Four Russian civilian specialists were reportedly wounded early on July 2 when Israel launched a new attack against Syria.
The Syrian Arab News Agency, quoting a military source, said that Israeli warplanes fired missiles from the direction of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, at positions located in the outskirts of the city of Homs. Syrian air defenses intercepted some of the missiles. The initial strikes resulted only in material damage, the official news agency said.
An anti-aircraft missile launched from Syrian territory towards Israel during the strikes exploded mid air over Israel, according to a spokesman for the Israeli military. There were no casualties, he said. Videos from Israel showed the remains of a 5V21 missile from a Soviet-made S-200 long-range air defense system.
The spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said later that the military launched strikes against the Syrian air defense base that fired the missile as well as other targets.
The base in question is located near the town of al-Qadmus in the northern countryside of Tartus. The Russian civilian specialists were reportedly wounded nearby.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented yet on the reports of Russian casualties, nor has the Syrian or Israeli governments.
If the reports are confirmed, this would be the first time an Israel attack on Syria has directly caused Russian casualties since the beginning of Russian operations in the country.
In 2018, Syrian air defense shot down a Russian Il-20 intelligence aircraft by mistake while responding to an Israeli attack on the coast. Back then, Russia blamed Israel for the friendly fire incident, which killed 15 Russian service members, and responded by supplying Syria with a number of S-300 long-range air defense systems.
During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of attacks against the country. Most of the strikes targeted positions of the Syrian military as well as positions of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliates, like Lebanese Hezbollah.
The attacks were a part of an Israeli covert military campaign, known as “the war between wars,” which is meant to prevent Iran from establishing a lasting presence in Syria.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC:
