DAMASC, Syria – On Sunday night, Syrian air defenses were activated in the capital Damascus and its southern suburbs to repel an Israeli missile attack, state media reported. There was no word on the casualties.
State TV quoted an unnamed military officer as saying that most Israeli missiles were shot down before reaching their targets near Damascus.
Israel has launched hundreds of attacks on Iran-related military targets in Syria over the years, but rarely recognizes or discusses such operations.
Israel considers Iranian entertainment on its northern border a red line and has repeatedly hit facilities and convoys linked to Iran targeting the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The attack comes after the United States launched airstrikes on Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iran-backed militia groups.
The Pentagon said the strikes were in retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed a civilian contractor and injured a member of the U.S. service and other coalition troops.