Syria state media: Israel fires missiles at Damascus airport

Israel has fired missiles at Damascus International Airport, Syrian state media has reported.

An unnamed military source told Sana news agency on Saturday evening that the Syrian army had confronted an Israeli missile attack.

Sana quoted the source as saying that Syrian air defences had managed to shoot down a number of the incoming missiles.

The news agency posted a video of a small explosion in the night sky on a backdrop of city lights but provided no further details of the attack. 

AFP’s correspondent in Syria’s capital of Damascus heard a loud blast late on Saturday, followed by several smaller explosions, the news agency reported. 

The Israeli military declined to comment on the reports but has said it would use military action to prevent weapons transfers to its enemies. 

Earlier this month, a senior Israeli military official said the army had struck more than 200 targets in Syria, focussing on Iranian weapons and other targets. 

In late August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would take “strong and determined action against Iran’s attempts to station forces and advanced weapons systems in Syria”.  

His statement came days after Iran and Syria signed a deal for military cooperation. 

Tehran has provided steady political, financial and military backing to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as he fought back against a seven-year uprising.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies