Israeli attack over Syria’s Hama kills five and injures seven- state media

DAMASCUS (Reuters) – An Israeli missile attack on the Masyaf area in Syria’s Hama countryside late Friday killed five and injured seven including a child, state media reported, citing a military statement.

The attack began at 2023 local time (1723 GMT) and originated from the West Banyas direction, the military statement added.

It said one of those killed was a civilian.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.

The missiles sparked fires in forest areas in Masyaf and left some material damage, Syrian state media reported.

For several years, Israel has been mounting attacks on what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have deployed to help President Bashar al-Assad fight back anti-government forces.

Two anti-government sources and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes targeted weapons depots belonging to pro-Assad forces. Syrian state TV did not specify whether the area hit was a military zone.

(Reporting by Alaa Swilam, Kinda Makieh and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Writing by Alaa Swilam and Maya Gebeily; Editing by Franklin Paul and Frank Jack Daniel)