Syrian regime says loyalist killed in Israeli air raid

The Syrian regime has reported that one of its soldiers was killed and three others were wounded in an Israeli strike on a military position near Damascus.

"Today at 01:30 (22:30 GMT) the Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression with missile bursts from northern Galilee, targeting a unit of our air defence forces in the Nabi Habeel area," state news agency SANA said on Wednesday, citing a military source.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli military declined to comment on the SANA report.

"We do not comment on foreign media reports," spokesperson told AFP.

READ MORE: Explosions reported in Syria's Masyaf after Israeli jets fly over Beirut

Continuous attacks

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011.

It has targeted government troops, allied Iranian forces and fighters from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

It rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria, but says Iran's presence in support of President Bashar al-Assad is a threat to which it will continue to respond.

In the past few years, Israel has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria, most of them aimed at suspected Iranian weapons shipments believed to be bound for Hezbollah. 

In recent months, Israeli officials have expressed concern that Hezbollah is trying to establish production facilities to make precision guided missiles.

READ MORE: Is Iran silently preparing for intensified conflict with Israel?

Russian military says three of its troops wounded in northwest

The Russian military has said three of its troops were wounded in an attack by militants in northwestern Syria.

Rear Adm. Vyacheslav Sytnik, the chief of the Russian military's Reconciliation Center in Syria, said that militants in the province of Idlib fired an anti-tank missile at a Russian armored personnel carrier, wounding three military police officers.

He said the attack happened while the Russian troops were on patrol near Trumba in Idlib and Turkish troops were pulling out of the area.

Russia and Turkey, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, negotiated a cease-fire deal for Idlib that envisaged joint patrols and established observation posts to monitor the truce, which has been frequently violated.

Russia is the Syrian regime’s main military ally, while Turkey has backed the Syrian opposition.

Russia has waged a military operation in Syria since 2015, tipping the balance of power in favour of regime leader Bashar al Assad and helping his forces reclaim control over most of the country after a devastating civil war.