<p class="title">Israeli strikes on several areas of Syria overnight killed at least 23 fighters, including five Syrian regime troops and 18 other allied forces, a monitor said Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an officer was among the regime troops killed in the strikes and that the casualties included foreigners.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Israel's army said it hit dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Russian defence ministry, whose country has forces in Syria supporting the regime, said 28 Israeli warplanes took part in the raids and around 70 missiles were fired.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Areas near Damascus and in the southwest of Syria were among the targets, the Observatory said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The strikes "caused human losses in a number of the targeted areas", it said, adding the death toll was likely to rise.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Israel said it targeted Syrian positions after rocket fire towards its forces in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that it blamed on Iran.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A senior military pro-regime source in Syria confirmed the salvo of rockets but insisted Israel fired first.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The strikes come after the Syrian army late Tuesday said it intercepted two Israeli missiles, while the Observatory said eight Iranians were among 15 foreign pro-regime fighters killed in that attack.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, Israel has repeatedly targeted positions of the Syrian army and Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah backing it inside the country.</p>
<p class="title">Israeli strikes on several areas of Syria overnight killed at least 23 fighters, including five Syrian regime troops and 18 other allied forces, a monitor said Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an officer was among the regime troops killed in the strikes and that the casualties included foreigners.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Israel's army said it hit dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Russian defence ministry, whose country has forces in Syria supporting the regime, said 28 Israeli warplanes took part in the raids and around 70 missiles were fired.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Areas near Damascus and in the southwest of Syria were among the targets, the Observatory said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The strikes "caused human losses in a number of the targeted areas", it said, adding the death toll was likely to rise.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Israel said it targeted Syrian positions after rocket fire towards its forces in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that it blamed on Iran.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A senior military pro-regime source in Syria confirmed the salvo of rockets but insisted Israel fired first.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The strikes come after the Syrian army late Tuesday said it intercepted two Israeli missiles, while the Observatory said eight Iranians were among 15 foreign pro-regime fighters killed in that attack.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, Israel has repeatedly targeted positions of the Syrian army and Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah backing it inside the country.</p>