BEIRUT: Syrian air defences shot down Israeli missiles near the capital Damascus late on Tuesday, local state media reported, while Israel said it was protecting itself from anti-aircraft fire.
The official Syrian news agency SANA said air defences “intercepted hostile missiles launched by the Israeli warplanes” from over Lebanese territories, citing a military source.
It added that the majority of them were downed before reaching their targets near the capital Damascus. Three soldiers were injured and an ammunition depot damaged.
Israel has previously carried out several bombings in Syria against what it says hostile military targets. Many of them have been in the area south of Damascus.
An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on reports of a strike in Syria. But it added in a statement: “An aerial defence system went off against an anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria. No damage or injuries were reported.” The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor also reported “an Israeli raid”.
“Missiles fired from Israeli planes targeted... arms depots southwest and south of Damascus that belong to Hizbullah,” said Rami Abdel Rahman.
Moscow accuses Israel of ‘gross violation of sovereignty’ in Syria strikes.
Meanwhile, Moscow on Wednesday said Israel had violated Syria’s sovereignty with airstrikes the day before, after Israel and Damascus blamed each other for the hostilities.
“We are very concerned by the attacks and how they were made. This is a gross violation of the sovereignty of Syria,” the Russian ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
Moscow’s defence ministry earlier said Israeli strikes had endangered two passenger planes.
“The provocative actions of the Israeli air force... directly threatened two airliners,” ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
He said the attack came from over Lebanese territory and came as “two airliners, not from Russia, were preparing to land at the airports of Beirut and Damascus”.
He said restrictions were imposed on the use of Syrian government forces’ air defence systems “to prevent a tragedy”. One of the planes was redirected to a Russian airbase within Syria.
The Russian defence ministry said three Syrian military personnel were injured in a strike that saw Israeli warplanes drop 16 bombs. Of these, 14 were destroyed by Syrian defence systems, according to the ministry.
If Israel is confirmed to have instigated the strikes, it would be the first attack since US President Donald Trump announced last week the withdrawal of American troops from Syria.
Moscow is an ally of Damascus and its intervention in Syria’s civil war in 2015 was seen as key to propping up President Bashar al Assad’s regime.
— AFP
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