Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Syria last night, reportedly targeting the al-Kiswah region, which is located south of the capital, Damascus. Several reports, which were confirmed by Syrian sources to TV7, revealed that the Israeli Air Force targeted multiple structures belonging to an Iranian-backed militia. According to one of the sources, explosions were heard from the area, where an Iranian-backed militia was believed to have stored several shipments of Iranian weapons. While a Syria’s State television reporter initially confirmed hearing explosions in the southern part of the country, a Syrian military official told the SANA network that the army’s air-defense systems managed to intercept, what he termed “hostile targets over the al-Kiswah region.” The military official further claimed that the alleged Israeli assault “failed to achieve any of the targets,” yet TV7 sources disputed the statement as “an attempt to reassure the civilian population of Syria’s military capabilities to protect its sovereignty.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s RIA news agency cited a Syrian security source as saying that the “Syrian air defense forces shot down an Israeli war plane and four missiles.” The source further claimed that “the Israeli attack did not achieve its goals because the hostile targets were shot down.”
In response to this report, The IDF spokesperson unit told TV7 that “reports regarding an IDF aircraft or an airborne IDF target having been hit are false.” While the military spokesperson who spoke to TV7 refused to comment any IDF operation activity, he noted that “during a Syrian surface-to-air missile launching, one launch was identified towards an open area in the (Israeli side of the) Golan Heights.” The military spokesperson, who spoke to TV7 earlier today, said that “IDF troops found remnants of what seems to be a Syrian Anti-Aircraft missile fired during last night’s incident.” While the spokesperson further noted that “the findings will be examined,” he did not elaborate on the matter.