Israeli strikes claim 6 pro-Iran fighters in Syria, including Hezbollah member

According to a war monitor, Israeli strikes near the Lebanese border in Syria killed at least six pro-Iran fighters on Monday. These attacks targeted areas where the Lebanese Hezbollah group is influential.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Israeli strikes hit two positions of pro-Iran groups in the Homs region, including a Hezbollah site in the Qusayr area, resulting in six Iran-backed fighters’ deaths. The Observatory did not detail their nationalities.

A source from Hezbollah confirmed to AFP that at least one of their fighters was killed in the Qusayr area strikes.

Israel typically refrains from commenting on individual strikes in Syria but has consistently stated it will prevent Iran, its adversary, from expanding its presence there.

On the preceding Saturday, the Observatory noted an Israeli drone strike near the Lebanese border targeting a vehicle with a Hezbollah commander and his companion, but no casualties were reported by Hezbollah.

Earlier, on May 9, Israeli strikes in Syria targeted facilities of Iraq’s Al-Nujaba armed movement, according to the Observatory and the pro-Iran group, with Damascus indicating an unidentified building was attacked.

Since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, the Israeli military has conducted hundreds of strikes there, primarily targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters, including those from Hezbollah. These strikes have increased following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7, which began with an unprecedented attack on Israel by the Iran-supported Palestinian militant group.

The Syrian conflict has claimed over half a million lives and displaced millions since it started with the government’s crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011.