Syria Reports Alleged Israeli Airstrike Near Damascus

Syrian state news agency SANA reported on an alleged Israeli airstrike on Wednesday night, saying that IAF aircraft targeted sites in southern Syria and near Damascus. Israel did not comment on the report.

Arab media reported that the strike targeted sites near Damascus International Airport, as well as sites belonging to the Syrian military and pro-Iranian militias in the area.

Saudi news agency Al-Arabiya said that sites operated by the Hezbollah terrorist group were targeted in the strikes. The report noted that sirens had also sounded at research centers near Damascus.

SANA’s report said Syrian air defenses “successfully responded to an Israeli aggression” over the region, shooting down most of the Israeli missiles.

Syria often boasts about successfully engaging Israeli strikes, in what experts on Syria and the region play down at times.

So far, all media reports of the alleged strike say no casualties were reported.

The alleged Israeli attack came hours after an anti-aircraft missile was fired at an IAF drone on a reconnaissance mission over the Israel-Lebanon border.

The IDF said that anti-aircraft fire was detected from Lebanon at a UAV that was carrying out routine operations over Lebanese territory. The drone was unaffected by the fire and continued with its mission, the military said.

Israeli media reported that earlier on Wednesday, two flights of airlines allegedly known to be used by Iran to transfer weapons to Syria and Lebanon were spotted by independent tracking sites as being en route from Tehran to Damascus.

Israel often strike convoys of such weapon deliveries bound for Hezbollah, Iran’s chief proxy in the region.