Israeli troops on Sunday, August 14, launched a series of rocket attacks against Iranian military installations in Syria, Reuters reported, citing Syrian intelligence and army sources. Several attacks hit an Iranian military base, a radar station and an air defense post near the port of Tartus, the main Russian Navy base in Syria.

Other Israeli attacks were inflicted on the northeastern outskirts of Damascus, where militants from the pro-Iranian radical group Hezbollah are based. The Syrian army claimed three soldiers killed and three wounded as a result of Israeli attacks.

In recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks on targets in Syria it believes are linked to Iran. So far, however, the Israelis have avoided attacking near major Russian military bases in Syria, the agency notes.

Russia smuggled weapons from Syria to war in Ukraine

On August 11, Bloomberg reported that Russia, ignoring sanctions, had removed weapons and equipment from Syria for the war in Ukraine. For this, it was used merchant ship Sparta II. owned by the company Oboronlogistics controlled by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and under US sanctions. Vessel left the Syrian port of Tartus and arrived in Novorossiysk, while Turkey did not control its cargo – although the passage of warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles is prohibited.