BEIRUT (AP) – An overnight missile attack in Syria’s northern region has killed 26 pro-government fighters, mostly Iranians, a Syria war monitoring group said Monday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack appears to have been carried out by Israel and targeted an arms depot for surface-to-surface missiles at a base in northern Syria known as Brigade 47. The Observatory said four Syrians were also among casualties.
It said the death toll could rise as the attack also wounded 60 fighters and there were several others are still missing.
The attack comes amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel following an airstrike earlier this month on Syria’s T4 air base in central province of Homs that killed seven Iranian military personnel. Syria, Iran and Russia blamed Israel for that attack. Israel did not confirm or deny it.
Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in an interview published last Thursday that his country will strike Tehran if attacked by archenemy Iran, escalating an already tense war of words between the two adversaries.