Israel strikes Damascus for the third time in a week

Israeli warplanes bombed targets in the vicinity of the Syrian capital, Damascus, this morning, in the third such attack over the past two days.

The Syrian Ministry of Defence said, in a statement, quoting a military source, that the Israeli bombing took place shortly after midnight and targeted some sites in the vicinity of Damascus, without specifying what they were. However, local networks, including Sawt Al Asimah said that the bombing targeted sites in the Sayeda Zeinab area, southeast of the capital, where Iranian militias are heavily deployed.

Other networks reported that the bombing also targeted the vicinity of Damascus International Airport, while the sounds of explosions were heard.

The ministry added that the Syrian air defences confronted the Israeli missiles and shot down some of them.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted a military source as saying that the bombing was aerial and that the losses were limited to material losses.

Earlier, diplomatic sources in the region told Reuters that Israel had intensified strikes on Syrian airports, including Damascus International Airport, to disrupt Iran’s increasing use of air supply lines to deliver weapons to its allies in Syria and Lebanon, including Hezbollah.

On Tuesday, The Jerusalem Post reported, quoting senior Israeli officials, that 90 per cent of Iran’s military infrastructure in Syria had been destroyed because of Israeli attacks.

Over the past years, the Israeli army has carried out hundreds of raids on targets in Syria, including military and civilian airports in Damascus, Aleppo and the port of Latakia. Previously, Israeli officials pledged to continue operations, which they say are aimed at preventing Iran from establishing its military presence in Syria.

READ: Israel airstrikes destroy Iran’s military capabilities in Syria