ISTANBUL

Eight soldiers were killed and seven others injured when an Israeli airstrike targeted a military position near southwestern Syrian city of Daraa on Wednesday, official media reported.

In a statement to the Syrian Arab News Agency, a military source revealed that Israel launched an aerial attack from the direction of the Golan Heights at around 1.45 a.m. on Wednesday, striking several military positions in the Daraa countryside.

The source further said that the attack caused material losses in military infrastructure and mortar launching sites.

Israel has occupied the Syrian area of the Golan Heights since 1967.

Tensions escalated across the region amid relentless Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas into Israeli territory on Oct. 7.