Israeli drone strikes kill six Syrian soldiers near capital, state TV says

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo of an Israeli drone prepares to land (Israeli Defense Forces photo)

Six Syrian soldiers were killed in Israeli drone strikes in the Damascus countryside, state-run El Ekhbariya TV reported early on Wednesday.

Syria and Israel are engaged in U.S.-mediated talks on easing tensions in southern Syria, with Damascus seeking a security deal that could open the door to wider political negotiations.

Syria said on Monday that Israel had sent 60 soldiers into its territory near Mount Hermon in a violation of its sovereignty, while the Israeli military said its troops carried out a routine operation in southern Syria but not in Beit Jinn, an area close to the border with Lebanon and near Mount Hermon.

Syria's foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the recent Israeli attacks on its territory, saying they pose a direct threat to regional peace and security.

Israel has repeatedly cited its own security concerns in its military interventions inside Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last December, including what it sees as its obligation to protect members of the Druze minority in southern Syria.

In January, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli troops would remain on the summit of Mount Hermon indefinitely.

 (Reporting by Enas Alashray in Cairo; Editing by Leslie Adler and Edmund Klamann // REUTERS)