Israel carries out intense strikes in central Syria, killing 4, state media says

A series of Israeli strikes hit multiple areas in central Syria late Sunday, killing at least four people, wounding 13 and sparking fires, state media reported.

Syria state news agency SANA reported that Syrian air defenses “confronted an aggression that targeted several points in the central region,” damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires that firefighting teams were battling to control early Monday.

At least four dead and 13 wounded people arrived at the Masyaf National Hospital in western Hamas province, SANA said, citing hospital head Faysal Haydar. It was not immediately clear if they were civilians or militants.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, reported that one of the strikes targeted a scientific research center in Maysaf and other sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria.” Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous.