Syrian military says Israel targeted south Damascus from Golan Heights

SANA (Reuters): The Syrian military said it downed a number of Israeli missiles launched from the Golan Heights that were targeting south Damascus on Friday, state news agency SANA reported citing a military source.

Reports of an explosion in the vicinity of Damascus circulated earlier overnight.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Israel has for years carried out attacks on what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that started in 2011.

Since the October 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas from Gaza, Israel has escalated its strikes on Iranian-backed militia targets in Syria and has also struck Syrian army air defenses and some Syrian forces.