The Syrian Defense Ministry says the “airstrikes” came from the Mediterranean and hit several locations.

According to the Syrian Defense Ministry, Israel carried out an airstrike on Iranian military positions in Aleppo, Syria, causing significant material damage.

“Israel carried out an airstrike from the direction of the Mediterranean west of Latakia, targeting several points south of the city of Aleppo,” the statement said on Saturday.

Syrian state media reported, citing a military source, that “the Israeli enemy carried out an airstrike targeting several points south of the city of Aleppo at around 5:20 p.m. (14:20 GMT) on Saturday.”

Pro-government radio station Sham FM said the attacks took place near Aleppo airport but did not damage it.

“It appears that these attacks in Aleppo were carried out from the sea,” Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem reported from Naqoura, southern Lebanon.

“Warplanes were over the Mediterranean when they fired the missiles at several targets in the city of Aleppo.”

During the more than decade-long war in Syria, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on its territory, mostly targeting Iranian-backed forces, including Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions.

But Israel has stepped up its attacks since its military operation in Gaza began on October 7, raising tensions across the Middle East.

Hashem said the attack in Aleppo was “not unprecedented.”

“There were attacks several times on Aleppo, on Damascus and yesterday [Friday] “There was an attack on Albu Kamal, an area on the border between Syria and Iraq,” he said.

“It appears that this is part of a pattern because the group that was linked to Albu Kamal was linked to the Iranian IRGC commander who was killed in Damascus a few days ago,” he added.

On Monday there was an Israeli airstrike outside the Syrian capital Damascus killed a senior advisor in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Sayyed Razi Mousavi was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran.

Tit-for-tat on the Israel-Lebanon border

The attack on Aleppo came after another Israeli airstrike on a border town in southern Lebanon earlier Saturday.

The attack came after the Iran-backed group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for three attacks on Israeli military bases on the border, Al Jazeera’s Hashem reported.

“There were several Israeli airstrikes, mainly on the city of Bint Jbeil… there were reportedly no casualties,” he said.

“Another town closer to the border with Israel was also hit by an Israeli attack in a residential area. This increases the risk of civilian casualties every day,” he said.

Israel and Hezbollah, along with a handful of smaller armed groups operating in southern Lebanon, have settled into a steady rhythm mutual exchange since the Gaza attack began.

At least 21,672 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza during the nearly three-month Israeli operation that has also displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population of the Strip.

The attacks in Syria and Lebanon also come amid fears that Israel’s war in Gaza could escalate into a larger regional conflict.