An Israeli airstrike hit Syria’s Latakia port before dawn on Tuesday, sparking a massive fire in the second such attack on the cargo hub this month, Syrian state media reported.
Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out airstrikes on its neighbour, mostly targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters.
But it is only the second time it has hit Latakia port, in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite community. Asked about the strike, an Israeli army spokesperson said: 'We don’t comment on reports in foreign media.'
The Israeli military has, in the past, defended the strikes as a necessary measure to prevent its enemy Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep
Israeli airstrike sets port of Latakia ablaze, says Syrian media