Israeli planes strike Syrian base in Latakia: Reports

WASHINGTON / DUBAI

An Israeli F-16 I fighter jet takes off during a display for foreign media at the Ramon air force base in the Negev Desert, southern Israel, on Oct. 21. AFP photo

An attack against a military base near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia late Oct. 30 early Oct. 31 was carried out by Israel, CNN reported, citing U.S. officials.
 
The target of the attack was a missile storage center, with the missiles stored likely to be supplied to Hezbollah, the Shiite Lebanese militant group, the report said.

The report was shortly after confirmed by The Associated Press, also citing U.S. sources on condition of anonymity. The target was Russian-made SA-125 missiles, AP said in its reported.
 
Earlier, al-Arabiya also reported that Israeli Air Forces carried out two attacks on Latakia and Damascus. The Dubai-based broadcaster suggested, citing anonymous sources that the strikes hit a surface-to-missile shipment to Hezbollah.

Al-Arabiya quoted the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying that explosions took place on Oct. 30 near Latakia.

"Several explosions were heard in an air defence base in the Snubar Jableh area," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
 
Israeli sources declined to comment to the Israeli press regarding the reports.

Meanwhile, Israeli news website Ynet quoted Lebanon's MTV, which it said cited unnamed sources in Jerusalem as saying Turkey was behind the Latakia attack, in revenge for the recent shooting down of a Turkish plane in the same area.

In May, Israel carried out two air strikes inside Syria, and a senior Israeli official told AFP both targets were Iranian weapons destined for Hezbollah.