Israeli airstrikes kill 12 pro-regime fighters near Syria's Aleppo

At least 12 fighters loyal to Bashar al-Assad's regime were killed when Israeli airstrikes targeted a factory near Aleppo in northern Syria, a rights group reported Monday.

“Twelve pro-Iranian fighters of Syrian and foreign nationality were killed, according to an initial count, during an Israeli airstrike on a position in the town of Hayyan, north of Aleppo, triggering strong explosions in a factory” , indicated the Syrian Observatory. for Human Rights.

The Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement that “after midnight…the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the southeast of Aleppo, targeting some positions” near the city, adding that ” the aggression left several martyrs and material damage.”

According to the Observatory – based in Britain but which has an extensive network of sources in Syria – rescuers and firefighters were deployed to the site to treat the injured and contain fires caused by the strike.

The non-governmental organization said Hayyan is “controlled by pro-Iranian groups composed of Syrians and foreigners.”

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against its northern neighbor since the start of Syria's civil war, mainly targeting Iranian-backed military positions and fighters, including those from the Hezbollah group.

Although it rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria, Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow its archenemy Iran to expand its presence there.

Strikes have increased since the launch of a brutal war against the Gaza Strip on October 7, when the Iranian-backed Palestinian resistance group launched an unprecedented incursion against Israel.

Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions more since it erupted in 2011 after Damascus cracked down on anti-government protests.