Israel conducted air attacks in the vicinity of Syria’s capital, Damascus, resulting in two Syrian soldiers being wounded, as reported by Syrian state news.
According to the state-run news agency SANA, Syrian air defenses engaged Israeli missiles launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at 12:25 am local time (21:25 GMT). SANA stated that most of the missiles were intercepted and shot down.
Military sources cited by SANA confirmed that two Syrian soldiers sustained injuries during the missile attack, and there were some material losses.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, stated that these airstrikes marked the 20th Israeli attack on Syrian targets this year.
“#SOHR_camera” captures Israeli shelling on sites in Damascushttps://t.co/cohKSMUCR1 pic.twitter.com/JWzgfs3g0W
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) July 18, 2023
The Israeli air attacks focused on military positions near the airport in the town of Dimas and the Beirut-Damascus highway west of the Syrian capital, which house elite members of the Syrian army, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The war monitor, known for its extensive network of sources in Syria, reported that the missiles struck warehouses belonging to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian government, resulting in a fire.
Israel has conducted numerous air attacks on Syrian government-controlled areas in recent years, although it rarely acknowledges responsibility for them.
The most recent reported Israeli air attack on Syria occurred on July 2, when the Syrian military stated that Israel had targeted areas near the central city of Homs, causing material damage but no casualties.
In the past few years, Israel has also launched multiple attacks on the international airports in Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, temporarily disrupting their operations.
Although Israel seldom comments on its operations in Syria, it has consistently expressed its determination to prevent its arch-enemy, Iran, from expanding its influence on Syrian soil.