Syrian air defenses confront Israeli attacks: State media

Syria’s air defense systems have confronted Israeli attacks in the country’s southwest, state media say, adding that three soldiers were killed in the raids.

Syria’s official SANA news agency anonymously quoted a military source as saying that the air defenses had “confronted” and “downed the hostile missiles” that were targeting positions in southwestern Damascus at 03:22 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) on Sunday.

Israel, the source added, then engaged in renewed aggression by firing several missiles into the eastern countryside of Quneitra Province at 04:10 a.m. local time (0100 GMT).

The aggression killed three Syrian soldiers and injured seven others while causing some material damage, the source said.

According to the source, the missiles were coming from the direction of Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

SANA did not specify whether the missiles were fired from a ground or an aerial platform, but the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli regime had carried out airstrikes targeting “positions and warehouses” belonging to Syrian and allied forces near Damascus’ al-Husseiniyah and al-Kiswah areas.

Later in the day, the Israeli military confirmed that its helicopters and planes had struck a number of targets linked to the Syrian army, including two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence outposts, and an SA-2 type air defense unit.

It said the attacks came in response to two rockets that it alleged were fired from Syria at the occupied Golan Heights on Saturday night.

The Israeli army has even released footage of the strike as well as aerial stills of various Syrian targets before they were reportedly attacked.

Israel has repeatedly attacked positions inside Syria. The Syrian military has mostly absorbed the Israeli strikes, locking its defense systems on incoming fire.

In early 2018, Syria targeted and shot down at least one Israeli F-16 that had intruded into its airspace.