Syria military says Israel strikes hit Damascus weapons depot

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46682666

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Loud explosions have been heard close to Syria's capital Damascus overnight, in what the Syrian military says were Israeli air strikes on a weapons depot.

A Syrian military official told state media the depot was hit, and three soldiers were injured. Syria said most of the missiles were intercepted.

Israel has not confirmed the strikes. It said it activated its air defence systems to bring down a Syrian missile.

There were no casualties or damage to property in Israel, the military said.

Late on Tuesday, Syria's state media published footage of an object moving over Damascus being intercepted.

A loud explosion is then heard, followed by burst of artillery shelling.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not commented on the reported air strikes.

The IDF later tweeted that its air defence systems were "activated in response to an anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria".

Israel has on numerous occasions targeted Iranian and Hezbollah sites in Syria that it regards as threats to its own security.

Israel rarely admits carrying out such strikes.

But in May, Israel said it had struck almost all of Iran's military infrastructure inside Syria in its biggest assault since the start of the civil war there in 2011.

The strikes came after rockets were fired at Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights overnight.