Syrian air defences intercept Israeli missiles
Syrian air defences intercepted Israeli missiles in Homs and Quneitra provinces on Thursday, state media reported. The missiles were fired from Israeli warplanes over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and from the Lebanese airspace, Xinhua news agency reported citing the state media which did not provide any further details. Thursday attack was the latest in a string of missile strikes carried out by Israel in Syria.
Throughout the Syrian crisis, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian targets in the war-torn country, as well as convoys transporting weapons to the Shia Lebanese Hezbollah group.
On February 23, the Syrian air defenses intercepted a number of Israeli missiles over Damascus, just 10 days after some missiles from Golan Heights had targeted areas around the capital.
On February 6, Israel carried out a similar attack around Damascus, killing a number of pro-government fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog.
In January, Damascus accused the Israeli air force of carrying out an attack on the T4 military airport in central Syria.
Last November, the Israeli army carried out a series of airstrikes against Syrian military sites and Iranian forces, killing 23 people, including 16 foreigners, said the Observatory.
The strikes further highlighted the sprawling tensions between Israel and Iran in Syria, which have escalated over the past months.
In 2019 alone, more than 17 Israeli attacks were launched against targets in Syria.
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