Russia: 'Provocative' Israeli strikes on Syria threatened two civilian flights
Russia's Ministry of Defense also claims 14 out of 16 missiles launched by Israel during a strike, reportedly targeting Iran and Hezbollah's arms depots, had been intercepted by Syrian air defenses.
The ministry, which did not specify which flights had been threatened, added that Syrian air defenses had destroyed 14 of 16 Israeli missiles launched by six F-16 jets against unspecified targets near Damascus on Tuesday.
“Provocative acts by the Israeli Air Force endangered two passenger jets when six of their F-16s carried out airstrikes on Syria from Lebanese airspace,” the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Three Syrian soldiers were injured in the strikes, Syrian state media reported.
Earlier in the day, Newsweek reported that according to a source in the US Defense Department several senior Hezbollah officials had been hit in an Israel Air Force attack near Damascus.
The alleged strike apparently targeting Iran and Hezbollah’s arms depots located southwest of Damascus, occurred shortly after the terror group’s officials had boarded a plane bound for Tehran. The source said the information was obtained from a senior Israeli military officer directly linked to the attack.
The source also claimed one of the main targets of IDF bombing was Iranian shipments of advanced GPS components meant to help Hezbollah convert its arsenal of unguided rockets into precision-guided missiles, thereby increasing the threat to Israel.
