At least one killed in Israeli jet raids in Syria

Israeli jets flying high over Lebanon struck at targets inside Syria on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported, in a rare daytime raid that killed at least one person.

Syria's SANA state news agency said the country's air defences shot down five missiles, adding that one person was killed and 12 others were wounded.

It reported strikes on the Wadi Ayoun area in the western Hama province and on the town of Baniyas in the coastal Tartous province.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the jets targeted military installations belonging to Iran, a key ally of the Syrian regime.

Lebanese residents in areas north of the capital, Beirut, reported hearing jets overhead before sunset.

Israel is believed to be behind a string of strikes targeting regime and allied military installations in Syria, in order to disrupt weapons transfers between its arch-enemies Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The Israeli government rarely acknowledges the attacks, and such strikes usually take place late at night.

The Syrian regime accused Israel of striking a weapons research facility in Masyaf, near Wadi Ayoun, in July. The attack killed a top military scientist.

Many more air strikes

An Israeli military official said on Tuesday that Israel has struck over 200 Iranian targets in Syria over the past 18 months. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity under military guidelines, said the targets were connected to Iran's elite Al Quds force and include air force components, support infrastructure, and weapons storage and manufacturing facilities.

The official said Tuesday's alleged air strikes were not included in the tally. He would not confirm Israel was behind those strikes, and did not comment on them.

Elsewhere in Syria, at least eight people were killed in air strikes in the northern Idlib province, where Syria's rebels are holed up in their last major bastion. Those strikes were likely carried out by the Syrian regime or its allies, which are preparing for a major offensive.

The Syrian Civil Defence, volunteer first responders also known as the White Helmets, said five children were killed in strikes on the town of Jisr al Shughour and another three civilians were killed in strikes on the village of Mahambal. The Observatory said 13 people were killed.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Tuesday the Security Council would discuss the situation in Idlib on Friday morning. The US is currently the president of the council, the UN's top decision-making body.