An Israeli airstrike took out four Hezbollah militants in Syria, according to Syrian state media and a human-rights watchdog.
Israel Defense Forces reportedly launched missiles near the Syrian city of Homs early Friday morning, targeting Syrian and Lebanese nationals that a British human-rights group identified as members of a pro-Iran Hezbollah militia. The attack also wounded several others.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but Syrian state media reported that the country’s military identified Israel as the source of the strike and deployed its air defenses in an attempt to stop it.
"The Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack ... targeting positions near Damascus and around the city of Homs," a Syrian military source told state media. "Our air defense responded to the missiles and shot most of them down."
Syria and neighboring Lebanon are hubs for pro-Iran militias. Syria accused Israel of carrying out strikes against Iran-backed militias operating in Syria in July. Israel Defense Forces shelled Lebanon in July in response to rocket fire from the country that targeted northern Israel.