Israel carries out airstrikes near Syria's capital

By Ahmet Karaahmet and Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu

ANKARA (AA) - Israel carried out airstrikes near Syria’s capital early Friday, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

Some points in the vicinity of Damascus were targeted by airstrikes conducted by Israeli forces at 1.20 a.m. local time (2220GMT Thursday), a military source told SANA.

"Our air defense systems intercepted and downed some of the missiles coming from the enemy from the direction of Lebanese territory. Damage occurred in the attack," it said.

Earlier, it reported that Israel conducted an airstrike on Damascus just before midnight.

There have been no statements from Israeli authorities regarding the attacks.

In addition to the Syrian army and Iran-backed groups, elements of the Lebanese Hezbollah group are present in Damascus.

Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has occasionally carried out attacks on military positions belonging to Iran-backed groups and the Syrian army in Syria.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul