Syria Downs Israeli Missiles Directed At Damascus Airport

Syrian air defenses shot down several Israeli missiles aimed at the airport in Damascus late Saturday, the state news agency SANA reported.

“Our air defence blocked an Israeli missile aggression on Damascus International Airport and shot down several hostile missiles,” said a military officer quoted by the agency.

People in Damascus were able to see lights crossing the sky in several directions and SANA posted images of the defense systems activating against the missiles. No damage or casualties were reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the target was an arms depot belonging to Hezbollah, but the information has not been confirmed by any authority.

SANA reported that the attack was realted to Israel’s “continued support to the terrorist organizations in an attempt to raise their morale, following their defeat against the Syrian army.”

Even though Israeli military authorities refused to make comments on these reports, they have previously acknowledged more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, claiming they’re aiming at Iranian intelligence sites, arms depots and other military targets and those of their allies, including Hezbollah. The aggressions intensified during August.

They claim the attacks are intended to prevent Syrian forces to deliver weapons to Hezbollah.

The last time SANA reported on Israeli strikes was on September 4, when their defenses downed missiles fired at military positions in Tartus and a scientific research center in Hama.

Damascus is currently holding its international fair, the oldest commercial fair in the Middle East, and visitors were able to see the exchange of fire.