Middle East
17:46, 21-Jan-2019
Syria shoots down more than 30 Israeli cruise missiles, bombs
Updated
08:06, 22-Jan-2019
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Syrian military air defenses destroyed more than 30 cruise missiles and guided bombs during Israeli air strikes in the early hours of Monday, Russia's defense control center was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
Night attack
The Israeli military said its fighter jets had attacked the Iranian targets early on Monday, including munition stores, a position in the Damascus International Airport, an intelligence site and a military training camp.
03:31
Israeli jets then targeted Syrian defense batteries after coming under fire, the Israeli military said, and the Defense Ministry of Russia said four Syrian soldiers were killed and six wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said they were the deadliest Israeli strikes in Syria since May last year.
Air strikes and ground-to-ground missiles hit several targets around the capital including near the Damascus airport, as well as near the Thaala military airport to the south of the capital, the Observatory said.
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Syrian state media, citing a military source, said the country had endured "intense attack through consecutive waves of guided missiles but had destroyed most "hostile targets."
When asked the attitude towards the strikes, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying said at the regular press conference on Monday that relevant parties should avoid taking provocative actions that may fuel the tension.
00:29
Israeli president: Iranian strikes toward Israel 'unacceptable'
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the latest Israeli attacks in Syria were in response to a surface-to-surface rocket fired toward Israel on Sunday and accused Iranian forces of firing the rocket.
He made the remarks while meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Jerusalem.
Rivlin described the rare firing of a missile from Syria in response to an earlier Israeli attack as unacceptable.
Israel has pledged to stop its main enemy Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighboring Syria and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said his country has a permanent policy and that is to strike at Iranian forces in Syria and hurt whoever tries to hurt Israel.
(With inputs from agencies)