Syria Blames Israel for Fresh Attack on Iranian Targets in Damascus

Syrian sources on Friday accused Israel of carrying out attacks on sites in Damascus overnight Thursday. State-controlled Syrian media said that Israel had fired several missiles at targets in and around the city, with the missiles launched from the Israeli side of the Golan Heights.

Syrian human rights groups said that there were several loud explosions around Damascus overnight Thursday, attributed to the attacks. The groups said that at least seven people were killed in the attacks. The targets were warehouses and a convoy of weapons from Iran. Targets included Damascus Airport and areas around the village of Sida Zeinab, south of the city. Several of the Israeli missiles were brought down by Syrian air defenses, the groups said. Israel had no comment on the story.

Twenty three people died in a similar attack last week, which the Syrians also attributed to Israel. The 23 were Iranian operatives who were killed when missiles hit targets in the Damascus area belonging to Iranian militias. Syrian human rights groups said that Syrian officials were attributing the attack to Israel. The groups said that the attack was “substantial,” and that many of the missiles fired hit their targets. Official Syrian sources said that most of the incoming missiles were destroyed by defensive systems before they could hit their targets.

According to Syria’s government-controlled SANA news agency, the missiles were fired from the Israeli side of the Golan Heights border fence and traveled over Lebanese territory to reach their targets. The targets, according to Syrian human rights groups, were various installations in the Damascus area run by the Iranians. All the operatives the groups said had been killed in the attack were Iranians. Israel had no comment on the story.