[IsraelTimes] Another four maimed and property damage reported in first apparent strike since July 19; state TV claims missile defense batteries knocked down some Israeli missilesIsraeli air strikes targeted areas in and near Damascus early Monday, killing four Syrian soldiers, the country’s official media said early Monday.
Another four soldiers were maimed in the alleged Israeli sortie at around 2:20 a.m. and there was unspecified property damage, Syria’s state-run SANA media outlet.
"The aggression led to the death of four soldiers, the wounding of four others and some material losses," SANA quoted a military official saying.
An AFP correspondent in the capital reported hearing the sound of explosions, and footage shared online appeared to show bright flashes lighting up the sky, either from missile strikes or air defense projectiles.
In one unverified video, seemingly taken from near the targeted site, at least six explosions could be heard as jets screamed overhead and a fireball lit up the night sky.
SANA said Syrian air defenses managed to knock down "some" of the Israeli missiles.
Syria regularly claims to intercept Israeli projectiles, though military analysts doubt such assertions.
There was no immediate reaction from Israel, which as a rule does not comment on specific strikes but has admitted to conducting hundreds of sorties against Iran-backed groups attempting to gain a foothold in the country, over the last decade. It also says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for Hezbollah and similar groups.
The attack would be the first alleged Israeli sortie over Syria since July 19, when fighter jets reportedly carried out strikes against targets in Damascus, wounding two soldiers.