Israel hit airport in Syria’s capital

MOSCOW/LONDON

A view of Mont Bental in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on Jan. 20. Israel's military said its air defense systems intercepted a rocket fired from Syria on Jan. 20.

Israeli air strikes targeting an airport in southeastern Damascus killed at least four Syrian soldiers in the early hours of Jan. 21.

“We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory,” the Israeli military said in a written statement, adding that the strikes were conducted after Israeli missile defenses intercepted an incoming missile over the Golan Heights.

Syrian military air defenses destroyed more than 30 cruise missiles and guided bombs during Israeli air strikes in the early hours of Monday, Russia’s defense control center was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

Israeli air strikes targeting an airport in southeastern Damascus killed four Syrian soldiers and wounded six, the military center was quoted by RIA news agency as saying.

Meanwhile, Britain-based monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Israeli strikes that hit several targets in Syria overnight to Jan. 21 killed at least 11 pro-regime fighters including two Syrians.

“Israeli strikes targeting Iranian and Syrian military positions near and south of Damascus killed at least 11 fighters including two Syrians,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The targets included weapons depots belonging to Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and Iranian fighters, he said.

Air strikes and ground-to-ground missiles hit several targets around the capital including near the Damascus airport, as well as near the Thaala military airport to the south of the capital, the Observatory said.

Israel has pledged to stop its main enemy Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighboring Syria.

In May, Israeli strikes killed 27 pro-regime fighters including 11 Iranians in strikes on dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria.

Israel said at the time it was responding to a salvo of rockets fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

More than 360,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the start of Syria’s civil war with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.