Israeli strikes on Syrian military sites kill 16

Damascus (Syria), September 9 — At least 16 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on a number of military sites in central Syria, the Syrian state news agency reports.

Sana cited a health official as saying that another 36 people were wounded in the attacks in the vicinity of Masyaf, in Hama province, on Sunday night.

A UK-based monitoring group reported that 18 people were killed and that the targets included a scientific research centre allegedly linked to chemical weapons production.

The Israeli military said it would not comment on foreign media reports of the strikes, which Syria's foreign ministry condemned as "blatant aggression" and Iran's foreign ministry called a "criminal attack".

However, Israel has previously acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran - Israel's main foe - and allied armed groups.

The Israeli strikes have reportedly been stepped up since the start of the war in Gaza in October last year, in response to cross-border attacks on northern Israel by Hezbollah and other groups in Lebanon and Syria.

Sana's report cited a Syrian military source as saying that Israeli aircraft flying over north-western Lebanon launched missiles at “a number of military sites in the central region” at around 23:20 (20:20 GMT) on Sunday.

"Our air defence shot down some missiles,” the military source added.

The news agency said the strikes also caused damage to the Masyaf-Wadi al-Oyoun highway and that a fire broke out in the forested Hair Abbas area.

Hama province's health director was cited by Sana as saying that 16 people were killed and that six of the 36 injured were in a critical condition.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) - a UK-based monitoring group with a network of sources on the ground - reported that Israeli strikes destroyed buildings and military facilities in "the scientific research area in Masyaf" and other sites.

It said at least 18 people were killed, including eight Syrian fighters and four civilians.

It initially reported that the strikes had targeted sites where pro-Iranian groups and weapons development experts were present.

Reuters news agency also cited two regional intelligence sources as saying that a major military research centre for chemical arms production was hit several times.

Western intelligence agencies have previously alleged that a branch of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC) near Masyaf has been used to produce chemical weapons in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Syrian government has denied the claim. However, the facility was reportedly targeted in a suspected Israeli strike in September 2017, a day after a deadly chemical attack on a rebel-held town in northern Syria that the UN and Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons concluded was carried out by the Syrian air force.

According to the SOHR, Israeli air and artillery strikes have targeted Syrian territory on 64 occasions since the start of the year, resulting in the damage or destruction of about 140 targets, including weapons depots, vehicles and Iran-backed militia headquarters.

The strikes have killed at least 205 fighters - including 50 members of Syrian government forces, 38 members of Hezbollah and 24 Iranian Revolutionary Guards - as well as 24 civilians, the monitoring group says.

In April, Iran accused Israel of carrying out an air strike on a consulate building in Damascus which killed two senior Revolutionary Guards commanders.

Iran retaliated by carrying out its first direct military attack against Israel. It launched 300 missiles and drones, but almost all of them were shot down by Israeli and US-led forces.