Three Syrian soldiers killed near Israeli occupied Golan Heights

BEIRUT (AFP): Three Syrian soldiers were killed Sunday when gunmen attacked their outpost close to the demarcation line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The attackers targeted the regime roadblock in the Rouaihaniya district of the southern province of Quneitra, detonating a bomb before attacking with guns, Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman said.

The pro-regime daily Al-Watan, citing medical sources, reported that two soldiers had been killed and two others wounded, calling it an “attack by a terrorist group on an army roadblock.”

The war in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions since it erupted in 2011 after the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Southern Syria was recaptured by forces backing President Bashar Assad in 2018, but sees regular attacks against government positions, often led by former anti-regime rebels.

Some southern armed factions once enjoyed support from neighboring Israel, experts say.

Israel has carried out hundreds of air and missile strikes on Syria throughout the civil war, with the aim of blocking pro-Iran militias from establishing a foothold in the country.