JERUSALEM, Jan 20 (Reuters) – An Iranian general killed in an Israeli air strike in Syria was not its intended target and Israel believed it was attacking only low-ranking guerrillas, a senior security source said on Tuesday.
The remarks by the Israeli source, who declined to be identified because Israel has not officially confirmed it carried out the strike, appeared aimed at containing any escalation with Iran or the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group.
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Israel has struck Syria several times since the start of the Syrian civil war, mostly destroying weaponry such as missiles that Israeli officials said were destined for Hezbollah, Israel’s longtime foe in neighboring Lebanon.
Hezbollah has been fighting alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces in the four-year-old Syrian conflict. (Additional reporting by Mehrdad Balali in Dubai; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Dominic Evans)
