Global Courant 2023-05-29 03:21:54
Syrian state media report airstrikes blamed on Israel target Syria’s capital, the first such strike in a month
DAMASCUS — Airstrikes attributed to Israel targeted the Syrian capital late Sunday, the first such strikes in a month, Syrian state media reported.
Syrian air defenses responded to the attacks near Damascus and shot down some, state news agency SANA reported. The attack caused only “material damage,” it said.
The last suspected Israeli airstrike on Syria was on April 29, targeting Homs province. SANA, citing military officials at the time, said three civilians were injured in the attack and a civilian gas station caught fire and a number of fuel tankers and trucks were on fire.
There was no immediate statement from Israeli authorities about Sunday’s attacks on Damascus.
Israel, which has vowed to stop the Iranian entrenchment next door, has carried out hundreds of strikes against targets in government-controlled parts of neighboring Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges them.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a speech at a security conference earlier this month that the new Israeli government has greatly increased the number of attacks on Iranian targets since taking office late last year.
Last week, an Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that an Israeli drone carrying out a surveillance mission in Syrian airspace “came under small arms fire” and that Israeli forces responded with machine gun fire.
