Observatory: 19 Iranians Killed in 2 Days of Israeli Strikes on Syria

At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Observatory.

He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

In strikes near the capital on Wednesday, the Observatory said at least 15



were killed, including eight Iranians.

That brings to 42, including 19 Iranians, the total killed during the two days of strikes.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Observatory also said Saturday that at least 86 pro-regime fighters were killed in Syria over the past week in battles against ISIS as regime forces push to clear militants from their last stronghold in Damascus.

The extremists have lost 57 fighters in the clashes in the Hajar al-Aswad district on the outskirts of Damascus since May 5, according to the Observatory.