War monitor says alleged Israel strikes in Syria overnight hit weapons depot

A war monitor said Israeli strikes on Syria early Sunday targeted at least two sites in Damascus province including a weapons depot, while state media said a soldier was wounded in the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says “Israeli missiles” targeted a weapons depot belonging to the Syrian military and used by Hezbollah in Damascus province’s Qalamun mountains.

Video and photos of strikes by #Israel near Damascus, #Syria tonight. Comes after a projectile was launched from Syria at Israel. Also today #Syria's defense minister was visiting #Iran. pic.twitter.com/HJiBwzA5K2

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) March 16, 2024

Another site near an army battalion in the same area was also targeted, added the Britain-based Observatory, reporting a fire at one of the sites.

The organization, run by a single person, has regularly been accused by Syrian war analysts of false and inaccurate reporting.

State news agency SANA, carrying a statement from a military source, said earlier that “the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack… targeting a number of points in the southern region,” without specifying where.

It said a soldier was wounded in the attack and reported “material losses”, adding that air defense systems shot down some of the missiles.

Since the Gaza war erupted, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacres, Israel has stepped up a years-long campaign of airstrikes aimed at rolling back Iran’s presence in Syria, attacking both Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with Israel across the Lebanese-Israeli border since October 8.

Israel rarely comments on its attacks in Syria.

Presumed Israeli strikes in Syria in the past have killed high-ranking figures with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and allied groups.

US military says it destroyed Houthi drone over Red Sea

The US military says it destroyed a drone fired by the Yemeni Houthis earlier Saturday, with another presumed to have crashed into the Red Sea.

There were no reports of damage or injuries from ships in the vicinity, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) says in a statement.

CETNCOM also said it destroyed five unmanned surface vessels and one UAV in self-defense, in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region,” the statement reads.

Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilize the wider Middle East.

The US and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

Suspicious aerial target intercepted over Acre area in northern Israel, says IDF

The Israel Defense Forces says a “suspicious aerial target” was intercepted a short time ago over the maritime space in the area of the coastal northern city of Acre.

No warning sirens or alerts were activated, the military says in a statement.