Three Killed in Israeli Strike in Damascus, Syria Says

An Israeli strike launched from the Golan Heights and targeting southern parts of the Syrian capital Damascus killed three people and caused some material damage, the Syrian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, state TV reported that Syrian air defenses shot down a number of missiles in the Damascus countryside.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the missiles targeted bases of the Syrian military and Iranian militias. The attack, the group said, hit most of its targets.

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The pro-government Cham FM Radio said the Israeli attack also resulted in a fire near Damascus International Airport, leading to the postponement of two flights.

There was no comment from Israel, which rarely confirms its activities inside Syria. It says it targets bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group that has fighters deployed in Syria and is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government forces, and arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.

Earlier in May, Syria's official state news agency SANA reported airstrikes on three different occasions within a week, with one killing five people. Syria linked two of the attacks to Israel.

Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.