The dead were all foreign paramilitaries fighting alongside Syrian regime forces BEIRUT: Israeli missile strikes on Syria killed at least six Iran-backed fighters on Friday, a war monitor said. The dead were all foreign paramilitaries fighting alongside Bashar Assad’s forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Right said. The missiles, which were fired from Lebanese airspace, hit positions held by Iran-backed militias in the Masyaf district of Hama province, Observatory chief Rami Abdul Rahman said. One also targeted a government-run research center, where surface-to-surface missiles are developed and stored, the Britain-based watchdog said. Iranian experts are believed to work in the research center. The Israeli military said it would not comment on reports in foreign media. The research center in Masyaf has been hit several times by Israeli strikes in recent years, the Observatory said. According to the US, sarin gas was being developed at the center, a claim denied by Syrian authorities, who say the country has possessed no chemical weapons since it dismantled its arsenal under a 2013 agreement. Syrian state news agency SANA said air defenses intercepted missiles fired by Israel on Masyaf. “Our air defenses intercepted an Israeli attack on the Masyaf area,” SANA reported. HIGHLIGHT Strikes also targeted a research center, where surface-to-surface missiles are developed and stored, and where Iranian experts are believed to work. It said air defenses hit “most” missiles before they reached their target. State television aired footage purporting to show air defenses responding to the Israeli attack. The Israeli activity in the skies was heard over parts of neighboring Lebanon, where many took to social media to denounce the Christmas Day attack. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011. It has targeted government troops, allied Iranian forces and fighters from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. It rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria, but says Iran’s presence in support of President Bashar Assad is a threat to which it will continue to respond.