Syrian state media says government air defenses have intercepted missiles fired by Israeli fighter jets near the capital, Damascus.
The reported raid on Tuesday hit an arms depot and wounded three soldiers, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying.
The military source said:
“Our air defenses confronted hostile missiles launched by Israeli warplanes from above the Lebanese territories and downed most of them before reaching their targets.”
Israel violates Syria’s sovereignty and bombs Damascus on Christmas, and nobody even bats an eyelash.
But the decision to bring back home US troops illegally present in Syria is announced and the entire world goes totally mad. https://t.co/VDZaAYXnQJ
— Sarah Abdallah (@sahouraxo) December 25, 2018
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency earlier reported that Israeli jets were flying at low altitude over parts of southern Lebanon.
Nearly an hour after the attacks began, Damascus residents could still hear the air defense units firing towards targets in the air.
There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military on the report.
Sound of loud explosions reported in Damascus ■ Planes heard flying over Lebanon ■ Incident comes days after Netanyahu said Israel may expand military action after U.S. pullout from #Syria https://t.co/flITIyWq2l
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) December 25, 2018
The official Israeli army Twitter account later said:
“An IDF aerial defense system activated in response to an anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria.”
Israel has in the past carried out dozens of air raids in neighboring Syria against what it says are Iranian targets, many of them south of Damascus.
At the end of November, Syria said its air defenses had targeted and downed a number of “hostile targets” over the Kisweh area south of the capital.
#Syria-n #christmas dinner interrupted by screams as #Israel rains missiles down on the capital city. pic.twitter.com/N0lbOKL1UE
— Partisangirl ?? (@Partisangirl) December 25, 2018
In early December, state media reported that Syrian air defenses had opened fire near Damascus airport but later withdrew the report without explanation.
Tuesday’s reported attack near Damascus is the first since US President Donald Trump announced last week that Washington will withdraw all of its 2,000 forces in Syria.
Following Trump’s surprise announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would “continue to act against Iran’s attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria, and to the extent necessary, we will even expand our actions there”.
( AJE, PC, Social Media)
