Thousands of Sunni Muslims fled a Syrian coastal town Saturday, a day after reports circulated that nearly a dozen people including children were killed by pro-government gunmen, about 50 kilometres away, activists said.
About 4,000 people were seen fleeing from the Mediterranean city of Banias, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Many in the coastal town fear pro-government gunmen are active in Sunni neighbourhoods.
The group said at least 10 people, including children, were killed in the city on Friday and the number could be as high at 60.
The reported exodus from Banias came after activists said Friday that regime troops and gunmen from nearby Alawite areas beat, stabbed and shot at least 70 people in the Sunni Muslim village of Bayda, 50 kilometres east of Banias.
Fears of a second massacre came amid news of increased tensions between Syria and Israel.
Israel targets 'game-changing' missiles
Israeli officials confirmed on Saturday that the country's air force carried out a strike against Syria. They said the target was a shipment of advanced missiles bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The officials said the attack took place early Friday and targeted sophisticated "game-changing" weapons. One official said the target was a shipment of advanced, long-range ground-to-ground missiles.
It was not immediately clear where the airstrike took place, or whether the air force carried out the strike from Lebanese or Syrian airspace.
The Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a secret military operation. There was no immediate comment from Syrian officials, and no word of the airstrike on Syrian state media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned in recent weeks that Israel would be prepared to take military action if chemical weapons or other arms that would upset the balance of power with Hezbollah were to reach the Islamic militant group.
It was the latest salvo in Israel's long-running effort to disrupt the Shia militia's quest to build an arsenal capable of defending against Israel's air force and spreading destruction inside the Jewish state.
In January, the Israeli air force is believed to have targeted a shipment of advanced SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles bound for Hezbollah. Israel has not formally admitted to carrying out that airstrike, though officials have strongly hinted they were behind the attack.
The Israeli airstrike comes as countries surrounding Syria are dealing with the continued threat of violence spilling over the Syrian border.
In Lebanon, there has been fighting between supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime, with gun battles at times breaking out in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.
Israel, too, is worried about becoming caught up in Syria's war. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyau – who has long been focused on the threat from Iran and its nuclear program – said this week that a missile attack from the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah was one of his chief concerns.
Israeli army stages border exercises
Israel's military has fortified its military assets in the occupied Golan Heights. It has moved elite infantry troops into the area, and the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported this week that a small military base near the convergence of Israel's borders with Syria and Jordan has been reopened.
This week also saw a major Israeli military drill along the northern border with Lebanon. About 2,000 reservists were ordered to report in an exercise meant to simulate a conflict with Hezbollah.
A senior Israeli officer told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, "the current reality on the Syrian front is liable to surprise us, meaning that we have to take that into account as well."
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