The Syrian military claims that Israel launched several missiles at Damascus early Thursday, causing property damage in the capital. The attack occurred at 1:20 a.m., and air defences were able to shoot down at least some “hostile targets,” according to military sources cited by the state news agency SANA.
There were loud explosions heard over Damascus, but it was unclear where the missiles hit. A fire was reported in the Al-Midan neighbourhood, a residential area in the city’s south. According to other reports, the strike was aimed at the nearby municipality of Kafr Sousa. According to SANA, at least two soldiers were injured in the attack, as well as some “material damage.” Earlier reports stated that ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
According to SANA, the missiles were launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The attack on Thursday comes a week after Israel targeted Aleppo’s airport, damaging the runway and forcing it to close for two days.
Since 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air and missile strikes on Syrian territory, but it has rarely acknowledged them. When the Israeli Defense Forces comment on the attacks, they claim to be targeting Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria in self-defense. To no avail, Damascus has repeatedly protested the raids as a violation of Syrian sovereignty.
