Syrian air defences 'engage hostile targets' near Damascus, source of attack unclear
File photo: Flares of Syrian air defence rockets are seen in the sky of Damascus on April 3, 2023.
The Syrian air defences, as per state media reportson Friday responded to an attack near the capital. According tothe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports, a military airport west of Damascus came under attack. The war monitor said that "the area of the Mazzeh military airport west of the capital Damascus was targeted".
"Positions belonging to Lebanon's Hezbollah and other pro-Iran groups are present" it added.
Is Israel to blame?
The Defence Ministry, as per AFP, said that drones entered the Syrian airspace from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
A statement from the defence ministry meanwhile said that "two drones violated Syrian air space from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan". It said that the attack happened around 2:10 pm (1110 GMT).
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"Air defence systems confronted them, and they were shot down west of Damascus," added the statement.
While the source of the attack was not immediately specified, Syria's official news agency, SANA (Syrian Arab News Agency)blamedIsrael in its initial reports for "hostile" strikes.
Since the onset of the civil war in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Syria. But afterHamas' attack on October 7, Israelhas intensified its efforts against Iran-backed forces in Syria, according to AFP.
Israel typically refrains from commenting on individual strikes in Syria but has consistently stated its opposition to Iran's expanding presence in the region.
(With inputs from agencies)
