Israeli special forces killed at least 16 people and struck a blow against a suspected Iranian missile factory, U.S. officials said.

An independent U.N. commission says Israel has intensified airstrikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria, inflicting civilian casualties on at least three occasions.

The missile production facility was destroyed in the attack, according to Western officials. Syrian state media reported that 18 people were killed in the strike.

An elite Israel Defense Forces unit conducted a highly unusual raid in Syria earlier this week and destroyed an underground precision missile factory that Israel and the U.S. claim was built by Iran,

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) - a UK-based monitoring group with a network of sources on the ground - Israeli air and artillery strikes have targeted Syrian territory on more than 60 occasions since the start of the year.