Israeli airstrike hits industrial zone near Syria’s Homs

An Israeli airstrike targeted a factory south of the Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday and the Assad army responded by firing a surface-to-air missile at the aircraft, a terrorist commander in a military alliance fighting in support of Damascus said.

 The commander told Reuters the airstrike had hit a copper factory in the industrial town of Hisya, 35 km (21 miles) south of Homs and 112 km (70 miles) north of Damascus. The commander did not give details of any casualties.

The Israeli air force says it has struck arms convoys of the Assad military and its Lebanese ally, the Iran-backed Hezbollah, nearly 100 times in recent years.

Israeli officials have expressed alarm at Iranian influence in Syria, where Iran-backed groups have played a critical role fighting in support of Bashar al-Assad during the war on the Syrian people that erupted in 2011.

Iran’s military chief General Mohammad Baqeri warned Israel against breaching Syrian airspace and territory during a visit to Damascus last month.

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 attacked a Assad 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.

Claimed tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which last fought a conflict in 2006, seem to have escalated this year. Each side claims to warn it will unleash devastating firepower in the event of a full-scale war.