Official Syrian reports made no mention of any casualties. A
source familiar with the operations of the Port, was quoted saying the strike
hit a container area where allegedly large consignments of Iranian munitions were
stored.
"These blasts and huge fires were caused by the
explosions from the munitions stored in a warehouse close to commercial
cargo," the source who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the
matter told Reuters.
Syrian state news agency SANA quoted the head of the Latakia
fire brigade as saying the containers targeted in the strike contained oils and
spare parts for machines and cars.
Israel has mounted frequent attacks against what it says are
Iranian targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces led by Lebanon's Hezbollah
have deployed over the last decade in support of President Bashar al-Assad in
Syria's civil war.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, visiting an Israeli
air-force base did not speak about the specific incident on Tuesday but warned
his country would not allow Iran to use Syria to threaten Israel.
"I call upon the region's countries to stop Iran from
violating their sovereignty and people. Israel will not allow Iran to funnel
balance-breaching weapons to its proxies and threaten our citizens," Gantz
said.
Another source alleged Tehran had in recent months
transferred weapons by sea as it sought to dodge intensified Israeli strikes
that struck eastern Syria near a weapons supply corridor along the border with
Iraq.
The drone strikes disabled several large weapons convoys
sent by Tehran from Iraq, he added in information confirmed by a Western
intelligence source.
Iran has expanded its military presence in Syria in recent
years where it now has a foothold in most state-controlled areas where
thousands of its militias and local paramilitary groups are under its command,
Western intelligence sources say.
Citing a military source, SANA said Israel had carried out
the air strike targeting the container storage area causing a fire leading to
"big material damages".
Fire fighters were working to extinguish the blaze, said Head
of the Latakia fire brigade and. Syrian state TV footage showed flames and
smoke in the container area.
Citing its correspondent, state-run broadcaster al-Ikhbariya
said a number of residential buildings, a hospital and a number of shops and
tourist facilities had been damaged by the power of the blasts.
Russia, which has been Assad's most powerful ally during the
war, operates an air base at Hmeimim some 20 kms away from Latakia.
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