Explosions heard in Syrian capital apparent Israeli strikes

The Syrian air defenses on Friday evening intercepted “luminous objects” coming from Israel, state TV reported.

On January 12, 2019, Syrian air defences shot down Israeli missiles targeting a transport ministry warehouse at the Damascus global airport, SANA reported at the time.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported three explosions southwest of Damascus.

Syria’s state television channel showed footage of the night sky illuminated by an unidentified point of light and the sound of shooting, Reuters said.

The Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, told The Associated Press that the strikes targeted the area of el-Kiswah, which is home to positions and storage sites for Iranian and Lebanon’s Hezbollah forces allied with Syria’s government.

The latest report comes amid soaring tensions in the region between Israel’s arch-foe Iran and the United States.

Syria’s Hmeimim airbase – which is operated by Russian Federation – responded to projectiles and drones fired by militant groups inside Israeli-controlled territory, Syrian state television said on Saturday. Iran and Hezbollah have played a key military role in helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fend off rebels in an eight-year war.

Israel and Hezbollah last fought a direct conflict in 2006 on Lebanese soil.

“Thousands of people could die”. “That would be the worst-case scenario, that it expands and affects all kinds of civilian populations in a number of countries”.

Source: Explosions heard in Syrian capital apparent Israeli strikes