ISRAELI airstrikes on the western Syrian port city of Tartus injured two civilians and damaged infrastructure hours before the arrival of a senior Iranian diplomat into the country.

Syria’s Defence Ministry accused Tel Aviv of launching an “air aggression” from across the Mediterranean, west of Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli.

“The Israeli enemy carried out an airstrike” at about 6.30am near the town of al-Hamidiyah, the ministry said.