Israel strikes Syrian positions in response to firing of projectiles

JERUSALEM — Israeli aircraft struck various positions in Syria on Saturday, destroying two tanks, in response to more than 10 projectiles that landed in its territory, the military said.

The flare-up marked a rare case of Israeli involvement in the bloody fighting next door. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria’s civil war, now in its seventh year. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel and holds the Syrian government responsible for such incidents.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said no injuries or damage were caused, but later announced that it had targeted the source of the fire and hit two tanks belonging to the Syrian military.

Syrian state media said a number of people were killed.

Also on Saturday, the Syrian government released hundreds of detainees including some who backed the insurgency against President Bashar Assad on the eve of a major Muslim holiday, Eid el-Fitr, the feast that marks the end of Ramadan.

Syrian Justice Minister Hisham al-Shaar told reporters that the release of 672 people on Saturday came in a bid to “sustain national reconciliations efforts and the homeland’s unity.”

Hours after the release, a car bomb exploded in a rebel-held northern town near the border with Turkey killing and wounding dozens of people, according to the opposition Civil Defence in Idlib, also known as the White Helmets, and the Britainbased opposition monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The explosion at a market in Dana, killed at least 10 people, including children, and wounded 30, according to the Observatory.