Damascus, Nov 27 (IANS): Israeli warplanes struck two areas in the countryside of central Syria's Homs province, media reported.

The attacks targeted al-Aminiya, located north of Homs, and Um Haratin, in the western part of the province, according to the Syrian state television.

The airstrikes come against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions, with Israel frequently attacking sites in Syria it claims are linked to Iranian forces or their allies, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel, which rarely comments on military operations, has conducted airstrikes in Syria since 2011, with a focus on targets belonging to Iranian and Syrian forces, and the Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah.

The latest strikes highlight continuing regional tensions amid Israel’s military offensives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.???????

Israel has continued a deadly offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, in October 2023. The ensuing response by Israel has killed more than 44,230 victims, mostly women and children, and injured north of 104,600.

The conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of the onslaught in Gaza.