Advertising Read more

Damascus (AFP)

Syrian state media accused Israel of bombing a military position in Aleppo province late Sunday in what would be a rare Israeli attack so far north in the war-ravaged country.

Citing a military source, state news agency SANA said the missile attack hit near a strategic air base.

"The Zionist enemy (Israel)... targeted with its missiles one of our military positions north of the Neirab military airport, but the damage was only material," SANA said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which very rarely confirms strikes on Syrian positions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it had recorded a wave of blasts around Neirab on Sunday night.

"They were caused by a missile attack, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, targeting positions held by Syria's regime and its allies at the Neirab airport and around it," the Britain-based monitor said.

Suspected Israeli air strikes have hit Syrian army positions near Damascus and in the central provinces of Homs and Hama in the past.

However, they rarely occur as far north as Aleppo.

Israel has repeatedly warned it will not tolerate an entrenched presence of its archfoe Iran in Syria.

Tehran has dispatched military advisors to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's efforts to fight back a seven-year uprising threatening his rule.

© 2018 AFP