Attack targets Mezzeh military airport in Damascus

Explosions echoed loudly in Damascus and its surroundings as a result of a new targeting of Syrian territories, particularly the Mezzeh Military Airport, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Meanwhile, a military source in the Ministry of Defense indicated that two drones were shot down in the west of Damascus.

The Observatory reported, "Loud explosions were heard in Damascus and its vicinity, resulting from a new targeting of Syrian territories, with the Mezzeh Military Airport being hit," without specifying the source of the attack.

"There are positions belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian militias in the area," it added.

SANA news agency quoted a military source stating, "Around 14:10 (11:10 GMT) today, two drones from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan breached Syrian airspace and were intercepted by our air defense missiles and shot down west of Damascus."

Earlier, a SANA correspondent mentioned that "our air defense systems are confronting hostile targets in the vicinity of Damascus" without identifying the source of the attack.

Usually, SANA reports refer to Israeli airstrikes as "hostile targets."

A correspondent for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in the capital reported hearing explosions.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment on the airstrike on Friday, stating to AFP, "We do not comment on foreign media reports."

Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, primarily targeting Iranian objectives and others affiliated with Hezbollah, including warehouses, weapon shipments, and Syrian army positions.

However, these strikes intensified after the outbreak of the war in Gaza following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.

Israel rarely confirms these strikes, but it reiterates its stance to counter what it describes as Tehran's efforts to consolidate its military presence in Syria.

Since its outbreak in 2011, the conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.

AFP