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Israel hits Iranian and Syrian targets around Damascus - military | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The Israeli military says it hit Iranian targets around the Syrian capital Damascus. | |
The Israel Defense Forces said the overnight operation targeted the elite Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, as well as Syrian air defences. | |
Syrian media said most of the Israeli missiles had been destroyed by anti-aircraft fire. | |
Israel said it acted after the Quds Forces launched a rocket from Syria over the Golan Heights on Sunday. | |
It said the rocket had been intercepted. | |
What do we know about the operation? | What do we know about the operation? |
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the start of its operation in a tweet early on Monday. | |
It said the Quds Force sites targeted included a munitions storage facility and a position near Damascus International Airport. | |
The IDF also said that "dozens of Syrian surface-to-air missiles were launched, despite clear warnings to avoid such fire". | |
"In response, we also targeted several of the Syrian armed forces' aerial defence batteries." | |
Syria's state-run Sana news agency quoted a military source as saying that the country's air defences had shot down most of "hostile missiles". | |
Witnesses in Damascus spoke of hearing loud explosions in the night sky. | Witnesses in Damascus spoke of hearing loud explosions in the night sky. |
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said Israeli missiles had destroyed weapons depots and military posts belonging to Iran and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. | |
The SOHR also said there had been fatalities but gave no details. | |
Netanyahu's warning | Netanyahu's warning |
Israel rarely admits carrying out attacks inside Syria. | |
The operation comes after Israeli said that "a rocket was fired at the northern Golan Heights and was intercepted by the Iron Dome Aerial Defence System". | The operation comes after Israeli said that "a rocket was fired at the northern Golan Heights and was intercepted by the Iron Dome Aerial Defence System". |
The popular winter tourist site on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights was closed as a result. | The popular winter tourist site on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights was closed as a result. |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning during his visit to Chad on Sunday. | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning during his visit to Chad on Sunday. |
"We have a set policy, to target the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, and to harm whoever tried to harm us," he said. | "We have a set policy, to target the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, and to harm whoever tried to harm us," he said. |
Israel has expressed alarm at Iran's deployment in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, who has been battling rebel forces and Islamist groups since the start of the civil war in 2011. | Israel has expressed alarm at Iran's deployment in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, who has been battling rebel forces and Islamist groups since the start of the civil war in 2011. |
In May 2018, Israel said it had struck almost all of Iran's military infrastructure there, following a rocket attack on its positions in the Golan Heights. | In May 2018, Israel said it had struck almost all of Iran's military infrastructure there, following a rocket attack on its positions in the Golan Heights. |
Israel seized the area from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it. | Israel seized the area from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it. |