Syria says Israeli air strikes target areas near Damascus
Israel has for years been attacking on what it calls Iranian-linked targets in Syria
Cairo: Israel carried out air strikes on targets near Damascus early on Friday, triggering Syrian air defences but causing no casualties, Syrian state media reported, the second such attack in just over two weeks.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the report.
A Syrian military source quoted by state media said Syrian air defences shot down most of the Israeli missiles and only material damage was done in the attack launched at 1:26am.
Israel has for several years been mounting attacks on what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces including Lebanon’s Hezbollah have established a presence since deploying to help President Bashar Al Assad in the Syrian conflict that erupted in 2011.
Overnight, around the time Syria reported the air strike, many residents of central Israel reported hearing a large explosion.
Israeli news website Ynet reported that it was an anti-aircraft missile fired from Syria which exploded over the sea. The Israeli army had no immediate comment.
Blasts were also heard in Lebanon, from whose air space the attack was launched, a Lebanese security source said.
Syrian TV showed footage of air defences shooting at targets.
“The Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression from the direction southeast of Beirut, targeting some points in the vicinity of the city of Damascus,” a Syrian military source was quoted as saying in a statement published on state television.
Syria last reported an Israeli air strike on August 19, which it said targeted areas near Damascus and Homs.