Israel Launches Airstrike On Damascus, Syrian Military Claims To Intercept Majority Of Missiles

Ilustrasi jet tempur Israel. (Wikimedia Commons/Amit Agronov/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

JAKARTA - A Syrian military source said that Israel fired a number of missiles targeting points around the Syrian capital, Damascus, early Wednesday, the state news agency (SANA) reported.

The source added that Syrian air defenses shot down most of the Israeli missiles launched from the Israeli city of Tiberias.

Citing The Jerusalem Post April 27, a Syrian military source told SANA Israeli aircraft fired missiles from over northern Israel, towards a site near Damascus.

The source also claimed Syrian air defenses intercepted most of them, adding that work was underway to check the results of the strikes.

Initial reports indicated that the attack targeted sites in Qudssaya, northwest of Damascus and near Damascus International Airport.

The attack was Israel's third alleged attack in Syria in the past month.

Two weeks ago, alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted sites near the cities of Rakhlah and Qatana, southwest of Damascus, according to Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV. The Center for Scientific Studies and Research in Jamraya was also targeted, according to the Step News Agency.

Less than a week before the attack, rare Israeli daytime airstrikes targeted sites near Masyaf in northwestern Syria, according to Syrian reports. The Step News Agency reported that the attack targeted a site belonging to a pro-Iranian militia and a scientific research site in Masyaf.

Satellite imagery from Sentinel Hub shared by open-source intelligence account Aurora Intel shows at least four different targets in the attack near Masyaf, including the Zawi Defense Factory, Center for Scientific Studies and Research, the Syrian Army compound, and another site far away, Masyaf in Suwaydah.

It is known that Israel has for several years stepped up attacks on what it describes as Iran-linked targets in Syria, as reported by Reuters.

Tehran-backed forces, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, have established a presence since being deployed to assist President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict that erupted in 2011.