Israel attacked targets in the village of Zakia south of Damascus using surface-to-surface missiles from the Golan Heights, resulting in some material damage, Syria's state media SANA reported overnight Thursday.
The area was frequently targeted by Israel in the past, as the entire area between Damascus and Quneitra on the Israeli border and the Golan Heights, according to foreign media reports.
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The area attacked by Israel overnight Thursday, according to Syria state media
(Photo: Google Maps)
Earlier, Radio Sham FM, which is affiliated with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, reported an explosion in Khan al-Shih southwest of the capital Damascus but did not provide further details.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights — an opposition watchdog documenting human rights abuses in Syria —also reported that explosions of an unknown source were heard in the area.
Saudi-run news channel Al Arabiya also linked the attack to Israel.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military said it attacked targets in Syria shortly after an anti-aircraft missile was fired from the Arab country into northern Israel.
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Damage caused by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile in the town of Qudssaya near Damascus, February 9, 2022
(Photo: SANA)
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said on Twitter that a Syrian SA-5 rocket exploded in the air and was not intercepted by Israeli air defenses, but it activated warning sirens near the town of Umm el Fahm, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Jerusalem, and in the northern part of the West Bank. There were no reports of injuries or damage there.
Palestinian security sources told Ynet that shrapnel from the missile landed in an open field near the northern West Bank city Jenin but could have caused much damage had it crashed in a residential area, owing to the large size of the pieces that fell from a great height.
On January 31, Syria's state news agency reported that the country's air defenses intercepted a volley of Israeli missiles over several targets near Damascus.
SANA cited a military source as saying the missiles came from the skies over eastern Lebanon, and targeted outposts in the vicinity of Damascus, resulting in material damage.
Last month, Syrian and Russian military jets jointly patrolled the airspace along Syria's borders, including the armistice line with Israel, and plan to make such flights regular, Russia's defense officials said.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the path of the patrol included the Israeli and Syrian Golan Heights that has seen regular Israeli airstrikes against suspected Iranian and Hezbollah positions.
Israel's defense establishment expressed great concern regarding the Russian policy shift after Moscow essentially handed the Israeli Air Force carte blanche to act freely on Syrian soil with the aim of preventing Iranian entrenchment in the country.