Syrian army says Israeli missiles hit near Damascus

The Syrian army said on Sunday that Israeli missiles launched from the occupied Golan Heights hit sites near Damascus that regional intelligences say targeted Iranian militias' stronghold near Syria's holiest Shi'ite Muslim shrine.

Syria's air defences shot down some of the missiles that targeted the countryside around the capital in an incident that injured two soldiers, the army said in a statement. It did not give any details on the location of the incident.

Since the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and soldiers, Israel has escalated its strikes on targets in Syria and also struck Syrian army air defences and some Syrian forces.

Israel attacked Damascus

Israel attacked the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday evening

“Israel has committed aggression on the outskirts of Damascus,” Syrian state TV channel Al Akhbar reported.

Earlier, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on positions… pic.twitter.com/FDitxrG6D5

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The Israel army did not immediately comment on the attack.

Two regional intelligence sources said the strikes hit an outpost of Hezbollah in the Sayeda Zainab neighourhood of southern Damascus, the site of Syria's holiest major Shi'ite shrine.

They say its main headquarters are in that neighbourhood, where it has a heavy presence and a string of underground bases.

The area has attracted thousands of pro-Iranian militia fighters from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan who came into Syria to fight alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops.

Iran's proxy militias led by Lebanon's Hezbollah now hold sway in vast areas in Syria, including in several suburbs around Damascus.

(Reuters)