Israeli strikes in central Syria kill 16

Israeli strikes hit central Syria late Sunday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 43 others as well as causing fires at sites believed to house Iranian forces, according to Syrian state media.

"The number of martyrs resulting from the Israeli aggression on a number of sites in the vicinity of Masyaf has risen to 14 martyrs and 43 wounded including six critically," official news agency SANA reported citing a medical source. A Syrian war monitor earlier reported at least seven dead.

Syrian air defenses responded to the attacks, which damaged a highway in Hama province, with firefighting teams working to control the blazes, the SANA news agency reported.

Masyaf National Hospital reported five dead and 19 injured, some critically.

The Masyaf area, often linked to Iranian forces, has been frequently targeted in attacks attributed to Israel.

The site contains the Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) used by Iran to develop missiles.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed the strikes targeted a research center in Masyaf and areas near Tartous.

SOHR, often criticized for inflating figures, reported an Iranian militia presence at the sites.

Israel, which rarely comments on operations, has conducted airstrikes in Syria since 2011, focusing on Iranian forces and Hezbollah targets.

Israeli air raids in Syria have intensified since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

At the end of August, three pro-Iranian fighters were killed in the central region of Homs in strikes attributed to Israel, the Observatory said.

A few days later, the Israeli military said it had killed an unspecified number of fighters belonging to Hamas ally Islamic Jihad in a strike in Syria near the Lebanese border.