Syria downs 'hostile targets' as Israel strikes near Damascus

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Syrian air defenses shot down "hostile targets" on Thursday, state media said, while Israeli jets bombed several positions south of Damascus, the first such strikes since Syrian air defenses were upgraded following the accidental downing of a Russian plane in September.

Russia's RIA news agency reported earlier that Syrian air defenses had shot down an Israeli warplane and four missiles, citing a Syrian security source, but later denied the report.

Israel did not confirm carrying out raids but said reports of its aircraft having been hit were false.

Syrian state media did not specify what the target was or where it came from.

An Israeli soldier stands near the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights on the border between Israel and Syria, October 15, 2018. /VCG Photo

The strikes hit two positions in the south of Damascus province, including an area believed to be an Iranian weapons depot near the capital, according to the Syria Observatory for Human Rights.

"Israeli forces bombarded for an hour positions in the southern and southwestern suburbs of Damascus as well as in the south of Syria at the border of Quneitra province," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Two missiles hit Kisweh, south of Damascus, where he said there are "weapons depots belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah as well as Iranian forces."

Unlike previous occasions, the Syrian authorities did not blame Israel, which has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the country's civil war.

Iran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and supports a number of militias that have fought alongside the Syrian army and its allies.

Russia blamed Israel for the loss of a military IL-20M jet to Syrian fire, which killed all 15 servicemen on board, September 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

This was the first major attack since Israel scaled down its attacks in Syria after the accidental shooting down of a Russian surveillance plane over two months ago. Russia blamed Israel for the incident.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told Moscow his government would continue to hit hostile targets in Syria to prevent Iran from establishing a military presence across the border.

(Cover: Syrian air defense batteries respond to what is said to be Israeli missiles targeting Damascus international airport, September 15, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters