Beirut – An Israeli air strike targeted a copper factory south of the Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday, a commander in a military alliance fighting in support of the Syrian government told Reuters.
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The Syrian army responded by firing a surface-to-air missile in the direction of the aircraft, the commander said. An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment.
The strike targeted Hisya, an industrial town 35 km (21 miles) south of Homs and 112 km (70 miles) north of Damascus, the commander said. He did not give details of any casualties.
The Israeli air force says it has struck arms convoys of the Syrian military and its Lebanese ally, the Iran-backed Hezbollah, nearly 100 times in recent years.
Israeli officials have expressed deep concern at Iranian influence in Syria, where Iran-backed groups have played a critical role fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad during the conflict that erupted in 2011.
Last month, five projectiles from Syria set off air raid sirens in Israeli towns, prompting the Israeli military to say it would step up its response to stray fire from the Syrian war that has repeatedly spilled over the border.
The Israeli air force had attacked a Syrian anti-aircraft battery earlier that week that Israel said had fired a missile at its planes while they were on a reconnaissance mission over neighboring Lebanon.