DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrian air defenses were activated in the capital Damascus and its southern suburbs on Sunday night to repel an Israeli missile attack, state media reported. There was no word on victims.
State TV quoted an unidentified military officer as saying that most Israeli missiles were shot down before they hit their targets near Damascus.
Israel has launched hundreds of attacks against Iranian-linked military targets in Syria over the years, but it rarely recognizes or discusses such operations.
Israel views Iran’s entrenchment on its northern border as a red line and has repeatedly attacked Iran-linked facilities and arms convoys targeting Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.
The attack comes after the United States launched air strikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iran-backed militia groups.
The Pentagon said the attacks were a retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month, which killed a contracted civilian and injured a US military and other coalition troops.