Syria: Israel missiles target Damascus military outposts

The Syrian air defence confronted the early morning missile attacks launched from Lebanese airspace on the outposts in the area of Qutayfeh in the Damascus countryside on Tuesday, according to the Syrian army statement.

Several missiles were launched at 2:40 a.m, followed by two more missiles at 3:04 a.m and four at 4:14 a.m. One missile was shot down, while the others caused material damage to Syrian military sites.

The Israeli military did not yet issue an official comment.

Dozens of airstrikes have been carried out by the Israeli military inside Syria in the past seven years in what Israel claims are arms shipments believed to be bound for Lebanon’s Hizballah powerful militant group.

Describing the attack as "flagrant Israeli aggression", the Syrian army renewed its warning of dangerous repercussions of such attacks in the statement, holding Israel "fully responsible for the consequences."

Lebanon’s Hizballah militant group is fighting alongside the Syrian regime forces against the opponents of the Assad regime.

The Syrian conflict began when the Baath regime, in power since 1963 and led by Assad, responded with military force to peaceful protests demanding democratic reforms during the Arab Spring wave of uprisings, triggering an armed rebellion fuelled by mass defections from the Syrian army.

The brutal tactics pursued mainly by the regime, which have included the use of chemical weapons, sieges, mass executions and torture against civilians have led to war crimes investigations.