BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli warplanes struck a military position in western Syria early Thursday, killing two soldiers and causing material damage, the Syrian army said.
The army said the air raid targeted a facility near the western town of Masyaf, close to the Mediterranean coast, a stronghold of President Bashar Assad.
The army said the Israeli warplanes fired several missiles while in Lebanese air space, and warned of the "dangerous repercussions of such hostile acts on the security and stability of the region."
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
While largely staying out of the Syrian civil war, Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes against suspected arms shipments believed to be headed to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which is fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said two facilities were hit, a scientific research center and a nearby military base where short-range surface-to-surface missiles are stored. He said the attack killed two people and wounded five.
"Many explosions were heard in the area after the air raid," said Abdurrahman, whose group relies on a network of activists across the country. He said some of the blasts may have been secondary explosions from a missile storage facility being hit.
He said Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and Iranian military officials often visit the site. He said those killed and wounded were Syrians, adding that it was not immediately clear if there were casualties among Iranian and Hezbollah operatives.
The air raid came a day after a U.N. probe found the Syrian government responsible for a chemical attack in April in northern Syria that killed more than 83 people. It was not immediately clear if the facility struck Thursday was used for the production or storage of chemical weapons. Syria denies having or using chemical weapons.
In 2013, Syria said Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid on a scientific research center in the Damascus suburb of Jamraya.
