Syria Says Israel Targets Military; Four, Including Baby, Killed

(Bloomberg) -- Israeli war jets struck Syrian military positions from Lebanese airspace in the areas surrounding Damascus and the province of Homs, according to Syrian state media early Monday.

Syria's air defenses intercepted and destroyed a number of Israeli missiles, state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported, citing an unidentified military official. The strikes killed at least four civilians, including a baby, near Damascus and wounded 21 others, the official said, according to Sana.

Separately, U.S. forces conducted a strike against the leadership of al-Qaeda in Syria at a training facility near Aleppo province in Syria on June 30, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. ``This operation targeted AQ-S operatives responsible for plotting external attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians,'' according to the statement.

Israel sees the buildup of Iranian and allied Lebanese Hezbollah forces on its northern doorstep as a significant threat and has struck arms convoys and other targets hundreds of times over the past few years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late June. Russia has called Israeli airstrikes on Syria “undesirable” and overdone.

To contact the reporter on this story: Zaid Sabah in Washington at zalhamid@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Colin Keatinge

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