Israel Hits Iranian Force In Syria To Stop Killer Drones

(Reuters) August 24 2019 23:03 JERUSALEM/DAMASCUS - Israeli aircraft on Saturday struck Iranian forces near Damascus that had been planning to launch killer drones at targets in Israel an Israeli military spokesman said. The strike targeted Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militias which were preparing to advance attack plans targeting sites in Israel from within Syria over the last number of days the military said in a statement. The elite Quds Force is the overseas arm of Irans Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters the forces on Thursday had been preparing to launch killer drones armed with explosives at northern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had thwarted the planned Iranian attack. Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression he said on Twitter. Syrian state media said Syrian air defenses intercepted hostile targets over Damascus the capital Saturday night. Witnesses in Damascus said they heard and saw explosions in the sky. The aggression is ongoing and air defenses are confronting hostile targets and are downing most of them in the southern region state media outlet SANA said indicating areas south of Damascus. The Syrian army said in a statement that the majority of the Israeli missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets. Conricus however said the impact of the Israeli strikes was significant. Israel says it has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria against Iranian targets trying to establish a permanent military presence there and against advanced weapon shipments to Tehran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah.