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 capital Damascus. unnamed military official gave no furr details ding that Syrian air defenses opened fire on “hostile targets.” It was not clear what targets were but state TV said strikes were carried by warplanes flying Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. air raids started shortly before 11 p.m. (2000 GMT).

Residents of capital Damascus said y heard explosions south of city. An opposition war monitor said Israel's military targeted military posts south of Damascus. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian air defenses were responding to 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 past three months alone, Syria has accused Israel of carrying out at least eight air raids on its territory. last reported strikes came on July 20.

Iran is a key ally of Syrian government in nearly dece-long civil war. Israel views Iran as a regional menace and has vowed to prevent any permanent Iranian military buildup in Syria, particularly near 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 Israel-Lebanon border.

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