TEL AVIV – Three pro-Iranian fighters were killed in an airstrike on the T-4 military base in central Syria late Tuesday night, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The strikes targeted an ammunition depot as well as two military vehicles and a building under construction at the base, which has been the target of strikes attributed to Israel in the past.
Syrian regime forces, IRGC troops and Russian air forces use the base. Hours earlier, two Syrian Air Force cargo flights from Tehran had landed there.
Syria blamed Israel for Tuesday’s strike, the SANA state news agency reported, adding Syrian air defenses had intercepted a number of missiles fired at the air base.
According to the Observatory, the number of dead is set to increase because more pro-Iranian militants were injured in the strikes.
“Our air defenses immediately confronted the hostile missiles and brought down a number of them. Four missiles reached the targeted area and there were only material losses,” the news agency said.
The strikes come amid tensions in the region following the U.S.’ targeted assassination of Iran’s Quds Force commander, Qasem Soleimani.
Earlier Tuesday, Israel’s Military Assessment was released and noted Soleimani’s death would give Israel a major opportunity to stop Iran’s entrenchment in the region.
Defense Officials have in the past claimed the T-4 base was used by Iranian forces as part of the Tehran’s efforts to entrench itself militarily in Syria, and was housing, among other things, an Iranian drone program.