Smoke rises after airstrikes on a rebel-held part of the southern city of Deraa, Syria
A Syrian soldier was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike targeting sites in southern Syria on Wednesday night, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Material damage was also reported.
The report claimed that most of the Israeli missiles were shot down by Syrian air defenses. Initial reports on Thursday indicated that the strikes hit targets near Shahba in southern Syria, as well as near the Damascus International Airport. At least one of the targets was reportedly an air defense system.
A military cargo flight from Tehran reportedly landed in Damascus earlier on Wednesday. Israeli airstrikes often take place after flights between Tehran and Damascus, as the flights often carry military equipment to Syria meant for pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The latest airstrike comes just over a week after an alleged Israeli airstrike targeted containers at the Latakia port in northwestern Syria. The Latakia area is a stronghold for Russian forces in Syria, with the Russian Khmeimim Air Base located near Latakia.
Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad warned that Israel would respond to Israeli airstrikes against Syria, saying that such attacks “could not go unanswered.”
Comments