Israel Fires Missile on Syrian Military Site

An Israeli airstrike on a Syrian anti-aircraft position near the Golan Heights Monday killed one soldier and wounded three, Syria said.

Israel called the rocket strike on Tal al-Shaar retaliation for a Syrian missile fired at an Israeli military jet it said was a routine flight.

Israel only acknowledged firing at the Syrian position, but gave no other details.

Israel has fired hundreds of missiles into Syrian territory at what it said were Iranian and Hezbollah military targets that threaten Israeli territory.

Meanwhile, Syrian military strikes on Idlib province have killed at least 17, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports. At least five children are among the victims. Idlib is the last major section of northwestern Syria still in rebel hands.

Video shot by Syrian White Helmet first responders show buildings reduced to dust, victims being loaded into ambulances and dazed survivors covered with white dust.

The observatory said an airstrike on Idlib Sunday killed 12.

Idlib has become home to hundreds of thousands of surrendering rebels and their families who fled from other areas to avoid attacks from Russian-backed Syrian forces.

An agreement that was supposed to spare Idlib from Syrian attacks has all but fallen apart after the military increased its bombing campaign in April, killing more than 200. The Syrians want to take control of areas along a strategic highway in Idlib.

U.N. officials have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib if Syria and Russia launch an all-out attack on the province.

Also Monday, Arabic-language media are reporting that Syrian government forces are engaged in a bloody battle with opposition fighters over control of Kafr Nabouda, a strategic town near Hama in western Syria.

Government forces recaptured the town from rebel groups Sunday and are trying to fend off a new rebel onslaught to retake it. Dozens of fighters on both sides have reportedly been killed.

Amateur video broadcast on Arab news channels showed bitter fighting between rebel militiamen and Syrian government forces on the outskirts of Kafr Nabouda.