Syria says Israel fired missiles on areas south of Damascus

A Syrian military official said Israel's military fired missiles Monday night on areas south of the capital Damascus. The unnamed military official gave no further details adding that Syrian air defenses opened fire on “hostile targets.” It was not clear what the targets were but state TV said the strikes were carried by warplanes flying Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The air raids started shortly before 11 p.m. (2000 GMT).

Residents of the capital Damascus said they heard explosions south of the city. An opposition war monitor said Israel's military targeted military posts south of Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian air defenses were responding to the attack. Israel rarely comments on such reports but is believed to have carried out scores of raids targeting Iran's military presence in Syria. In the past three months alone, Syria has accused Israel of carrying out at least eight air raids on its territory. The last reported strikes came on July 20.

Iran is a key ally of the Syrian government in the nearly decade-long civil war. Israel views Iran as a regional menace and has vowed to prevent any permanent Iranian military buildup in Syria, particularly near the frontier. In recent months, Israeli officials have also expressed concern that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that operates in Syria, is trying to establish facilities to produce precision-guided missiles. Tensions have also risen along the Israel-Lebanon border.

During last month's strikes on Syria, a Hezbollah member was killed and the Lebanese militant group vowed to retaliate against Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to kill Israeli soldiers whenever they kill Hezbobllah fighters in Syria.