Russia and Syrian forces blamed Israel for a pre-dawn attack Monday on the Tayfur air base in central Syria, saying Israeli fighter jets launched missiles from Lebanon's airspace, reportedly leaving 14 people, including Iranians, dead.
Russia's Defense Ministry said two Israeli aircraft targeted the T4 air base in Homs province, firing eight missiles. It said Syria shot down five of them while the other three landed in the western part of the base.
Syrian regime media quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli F-15 warplanes fired several missiles at T4. It gave no further details.
Israel's foreign ministry had no comment when asked about the accusations.
Since 2012, Israel has struck inside Syria some 100 times, hitting suspected weapons' convoys destined for Lebanon's Iran-backed “Hezbollah,” which has been fighting alongside Syrian regime forces.
Most recently, Israel hit the same T4 base in February, after it said an Iranian drone that had violated Israeli airspace took off from the base.
Earlier on Monday, Syria's regime media said the attack was likely "an American aggression," but the Pentagon said the United States had not launched the strikes.
France also denied that it had carried out such an attack.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 14 died, including Iranians and also three Syrian officers.
Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory's chief, said the assault targeted a mobile air defense unit and some buildings inside the air base. He added that it also hit posts outside the base used by the Iranians and Iran-backed fighters.
The missile attack followed a suspected poison gas attack on Saturday on the last remaining foothold for Syrian rebels in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. At least 40 people were killed in the assault on Douma, including families found in their homes and shelters, opposition activists and local rescuers said.
