SOHR: Israel carries out missile strike on Hezbollah sites near Damascus
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were believed to be casualties but it did not offer a toll
Syrian air defences intercepted an Israeli missile barrage targeting the vicinity of the capital Damascus, state media said early on Monday, citing a military source.
The source was quoted as saying that the interception resulted in some material damage. According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Israeli strikes hit a military outpost and weapons depot operated by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant movement near Damascus.
“Sites operated by the Lebanese Hezbollah group … in the east Qalamoun region, northeast of Damascus, were hit by Israeli strikes at dawn,” said the war monitor, which relies on sources inside Syria. It added that the attack sparked fires “in military outposts and arms depots belonging to Hezbollah”.
The Observatory said there were believed to be casualties but it did not offer a toll.
Official Syrian state media said the attack caused only material damage, without elaborating on its intended target.
“At 3:05 am today, the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial assault with a volley of missiles … targeting some points on the outskirts of Damascus,” SANA news agency said.
“Our air defences responded to the attack and intercepted some” of the missiles, it added.
Asked about Israeli strikes near Damascus, the Israeli army said: “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.”
Israel rarely comments on the air strikes it carries out in Syria but has said repeatedly it will not allow its archfoe Iran to extend its footprint in Syria.
Since the civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, targeting government positions as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters.
Source: The Arab Weekly