Syria warns Israel after Damascus airbase attack

The Syrian government has warned Israel of "repercussions" after rocket fire hit a major military airport just outside of the capital Damascus on Friday.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

13 January, 2017

The Syrian army command has warned Israel over the "blatant aggression" [Getty]

The Syrian government has warned Israel after an attack on a military airport in Damascus.

The Syrian army said on Friday that Israeli missile strikes caused a series of explosions at the Mazzeh airbase outside the capital before dawn.

"In a desperate attempt to support terrorist organisations, Israeli enemy aircraft launched missiles from the north of Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) at 00:25am (2225 GMT Thursday)," a military source told the state SANA news agency.

"The Syrian armed forces warns the Israeli enemy of the repercussions of this blatant aggression, and insists on continuing the war on terrorism to eliminate it," the source added.

The Israeli army had no comment on the strikes when contacted by AFP earlier on Friday.

Several rockets were fired from northern Israel just after midnight which landed in the compound of the airport, Syrian state media reported.

Images and videos of the explosions at the Mezzeh military airport were shared by activists on social media, showing large plumes of smoke rising from the scene of the attack.

Witnesses reported that the large explosions could be heard across the capital.

It is still unclear if the attack has caused any casualties.

Another Israeli strike on the same airport was reported in December, which coincided with attacks on several Hizballah positions on the outskirts of Damascus.

The Mazzeh airport is an important military installation used by a Syria's elite Republican Guards.

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Earlier on Thursday, a suicide bomber killed at least eight people when he struck the capital’s the heavily guarded neighbourhood of Kafr Sousa, which houses important security installations.

"Eight people died when a suicide bomber targeted Kafr Sousa" in the southwest of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"At least four of them were soldiers, including a colonel," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.