According to Xinhua News Agency, on April 14, local time, the Syrian military issued a statement saying that at about 23:00 that night, Israel launched an air strike from the northern part of the Golan Heights occupied by it to "some points" on the western suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus, and the Syrian air defense system intercepted the incoming missiles and shot down some of them, causing damage to some facilities. The Syrian military statement did not specify the location of the attack.
↑ The Syrian air defense system opened fire on the Israeli aircraft that launched the air strike on the evening of the 14th.
The Syrian State News Agency (SANA), citing military sources, reported that the Israeli airstrikes targeted Damascus "in certain locations nearby", causing only "some material damage" and not reporting any casualties. The military official, who asked not to be named, told the Syrian state news agency that the Syrian air defense system opened fire on Israeli aircraft that launched the air strikes and shot down some missiles.
The Israeli government did not immediately issue a statement on the Syrian state news agency's report. According to the "Times of Israel" reported on the 15th, at that time, residents of the western suburbs of Damascus reported that they could hear and feel many explosions nearby.
Shortly before reports of airstrikes were reportedly released, Israelis near Syria's northern border allegedly captured images of Israeli Air Force warplanes flying overhead. The United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that Israeli missiles hit an area southwest of Damascus near the town of Qatana, where it was allegedly a position of Iranian-backed fighters. However, the Israeli military has not commented on this.
The Times of Israel reported that the airstrike was Israel's second airstrike against Syria in the past week and the ninth this year. During the day on Saturday (9th), Israel launched an airstrike on the town of Masyaf in Syria's Hama province, and photos posted on social media showed billowing smoke billowing over the area at that time. The Masyaf area is allegedly considered a base for Iranian troops and pro-Iranian militias, and there is also a center for scientific research facilities in the area, which has been targeted by Israeli attacks on several occasions in recent years.
↑On the 9th, Israel launched air strikes on the Syrian town of Masyaf.
According to Xinhua News Agency, after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the Israeli military repeatedly attacked targets in Syria on the grounds of striking Iranian military installations. Over the years, Israel has launched hundreds of attacks on targets in Syria and has acknowledged that its targets are bases for Iranian-aligned militias, such as the Lebanese Allah Party, which has deployed armed personnel in Syria. The Israeli military has said its targets included weapons and materiel allegedly destined for lebanon Allah party.
↑ On May 10, 2018, Israel launched missiles at Damascus, the capital of Syria.
Israel defended its attacks on facilities and supply depots inside Syria, saying Iran's presence along Israel's northern border was "a red line" for the country.
According to the Global Times, in the early morning of December 28 last year, Israel fired multiple missiles into the port of Latakia in northwestern Syria, targeting a container yard with gasoline, cars and mechanical parts at the port. The scene of the attack was in flames, but no casualties were reported. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, containers at the port of Latakia contain "weapons and ammunition." In late February and early March this year, Israel launched two missile attacks on the area near damascus, the Syrian capital, resulting in the deaths of at least 2 civilians and 3 soldiers.
Red Star News reporter Hu Yiling
Edited by Zhang Xun
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