Beirut (AP) – Israeli jets flew very low over parts of Lebanon on Friday morning, terrorizing residents on Christmas Eve, some of whom reported seeing missiles in the skies over Beirut.
Minutes later, the official Syrian news agency reported explosions in the city of Masyaf, in central Syria. Other Syrian media said Syrian air defenses responded to an Israeli attack near the city in Hama province.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying that Israel “launched an assault by directing a flurry of rockets” from the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli towards the Masyaf area. He said Syrian air defense “confronted enemy missiles and intercepted most of them”.
There was no immediate word on what the target was or whether there were any victims.
Israeli jets regularly violate Lebanese airspace and often attack inside Syria from Lebanese territory. But Christmas Eve flights were noisier than normal, scaring Beirut residents, who faced several crises last year, including the catastrophic August 4 explosion at the city’s port that killed more than 200 people and destroyed parts the capital. This explosion resulted from the detonation of an ammonium nitrate stock that was improperly stored in the facility.
There was no immediate word from Israel about Friday’s flights and the alleged attacks on Syria.
In recent years, Israel has acknowledged having carried out dozens of air strikes in Syria, most of them directed at Iranian arms shipments believed to be destined for Hezbollah. In recent months, Israeli officials have expressed concern that Hezbollah is trying to establish production facilities to make precision-guided missiles.
Masyaf is a significant military area for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, which includes a military academy and a scientific research center. Israel has hit targets there several times in the past.