Syria claims soldiers killed in ‘Israeli airstrike' – state media

Several Syrian military servicemen have been killed after missiles targeted an area in the vicinity of Damascus, Syria’s state media has reported. The country’s anti-missile defenses shot down most of the projectiles, the report claimed.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that an "Israeli airstrike" launched "from the direction of the north of Lake Tiberias" in Israel struck targets in the vicinity of Damascus city at around 1:10am local time on Thursday. The attack resulted in the "martyrdom of three soldiers and some material losses," it added, citing a military source.

Footage has emerged online purporting to show Syria's aerial defense systems intercepting hostile missiles.

While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rarely admit to cross-border military raids, Tel Aviv routinely carries out bombardments of Syrian territory on the pretext of targeting Iranian interests there.

Many such raids have resulted in civilian casualties and military losses. While Israel has sought to justify its bombing campaign as being retaliatory or “defensive," Damascus sees the strikes as a violation of its territorial integrity.