Israel strikes hit near Damascus: Syrian state media

Israel carried out air strikes near Damascus early Wednesday, wounding a Syrian regime soldier, state news agency SANA said.

During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian regime army positions.

Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital early Wednesday, an AFP correspondent reported.

"At around 01:05 am (2205 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights targeting several positions southwest of Damascus," SANA cited a military source as saying.

قصف جوي إسرائيلي يستهدف عدة نقاط في ريف #دمشق ويسفر عن إصابة جندي بجروح خطيرة #سوريا pic.twitter.com/JZjmtKnZkK

— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) June 14, 2023

The source did not provide details on the targets and said the strikes "severely wounded" a soldier and caused material damage.

Syria's air defence intercepted some of the Israeli missiles, the source added.

The Israeli strikes targeted "arms depots belonging to pro-Iran fighters, and caused a fire," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor that relies on a vast network of sources on the ground.

While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its archfoe Iran to extend its footprint there.