Israel launches daytime strike on Damascus – Syrian media

One soldier was injured following Israeli airstrikes on Damascus, Syrian state media has reported, describing a rare daytime attack after a string of bombings on the capital and other cities in recent weeks.

Syria’s air defenses activated to repel the attack at around 2pm local time on Monday, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), which cited an unnamed military official.

“The Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression with rockets from the north of the occupied Palestinian territories, targeting some points in the vicinity of the city of Damascus,” the source said, adding that “a number” of missiles were shot down but that the attack “resulted in the injury of a soldier and some material losses.”

A local media outlet shared a photo purporting to show the attack in progress, with smoke trails seen as air defense munitions confronted incoming missiles.

Though such strikes are rarely conducted during the daytime, Israeli warplanes have repeatedly bombed targets inside Syria over the country’s decade-long struggle against jihadist rebels, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once acknowledging “hundreds” of strikes over the years. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not confirm Monday’s reported attack, and typically refrain from commenting despite continued allegations by Damascus.

READ MORE: Israel attacks targets near Syrian capital – state media

State media reported a similar air raid last Friday, citing a military official who said a barrage of Israeli rockets targeted sites in the capital. They added that most were shot down, but said the attack caused some “material” damage.

Another recent attack pinned on Israel left five Syrian soldiers dead, while the IDF has bombed both the Damascus and Aleppo international airports on more than one occasion since the summer.