Eight Syrian soldiers killed in Israeli drone strikes in Damascus countryside, state-run TV says

Eight Syrian soldiers were killed in Israeli drone strikes in the Damascus countryside, state-run El Ekhbariya TV reported early on Wednesday.

According to the state media publication, the latest drone strikes occurred Tuesday in the southern Damascus suburb of Kiswah- without giving further details.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes.

According to war monitors, the strikes hit a point that links Damascus with the southern province of Suweida that witnessed deadly clashes last month between pro-government gunmen and fighters from Syria’s Druze minority.

Further reports added that the area struck Tuesday had military posts for Assad’s military before his fall almost nine months ago.

In addition, it was noted that there were several strikes on the area, including one that hit after paramedics arrived. In addition to the eight soldiers killed, three people were wounded, it added.

Syria and Israel are engaged in US-mediated talks on easing tensions in southern Syria, with Damascus seeking a security deal that could open the door to wider political negotiations.

Syria said on Monday that Israel had sent 60 soldiers into its territory near Mount Hermon in a violation of its sovereignty, while the Israeli military said its troops carried out a routine operation in southern Syria but not in Beit Jinn, an area close to the border with Lebanon and near Mount Hermon.

Syria's foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the recent Israeli attacks on its territory, saying they pose a direct threat to regional peace and security.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had carried out "several activities last week in southern Syria to locate weapons and apprehend suspects".

The Saudi foreign ministry said the Israeli attacks were a "flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic and international law".

The Qatari foreign ministry called on "the international community to take decisive action against the Israeli occupation and compel it to halt its repeated attacks on Syrian territory".

Since Assad's overthrow, Israel has occupied much of a UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the formerly Syria-controlled side of the armistice line, including the summit of Mount Hermon.

Israel has repeatedly cited its own security concerns in its military interventions inside Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last December, including what it sees as its obligation to protect members of the Druze minority in southern Syria.

In January, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli troops would remain on the summit of Mount Hermon indefinitely.

Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris to push for a return to the arrangements that had been in place since a 1974 disengagement agreement.