An airstrike Thursday on the Syrian city of Masyaf attributed to Israel hit a missile warehouse containing more than 1,000 Iranian-made missiles, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Saturday.
The warehouse, in the city’s Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) complex, stored thousands of medium-range, surface-to-surface missiles assembled under the supervision of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “expert officers,” the report said.
Syrian air-defense systems were activated in northwestern Syria on Thursday, with Syria’s state news agency SANA reporting that local forces were “confronting hostile targets” above Masyaf. Later, the agency said the airstrike was an Israeli attack.
Civilians injured, Masyaf area ablaze following alleged Israeli strike
According to SOHR’s report, 14 Syrian civilians sustained injuries with varying levels of severity during the Masyaf airstrike, in addition to casualties reported among officials of Iranian-backed militias guarding the SSRC.
In addition, several fires broke out in areas surrounding Masyaf due to shrapnel from the explosions of the warehouse, with nearby civilian houses and property suffering material damage, the report said.
According to Syrian reports, secondary explosions continued for hours after the strikes, along with the blazes caused by them. Local residents were reportedly instructed to shelter until the fires were brought under control.
The SSRC has allegedly been targeted by Israeli airstrikes multiple times, including in a rare daytime strike on April 9.