Israeli missiles strike Damascus, Syrian Defence Ministry says

The aerial attack was the first on Damascus since late March

Syria said its air defences shot down some of the Israeli missiles. Reuters

Israeli missiles pummelled Damascus on Sunday night, causing material damage, the Syrian Defence Ministry has said.

The aerial attack by “the Israeli enemy” began at about 11.45pm local time, the ministry said.

Syrian air defences shot down some of the missiles, state news agency Sana reported. There were no casualties.

An AFP reporter heard explosions in the Syrian capital shortly before midnight, local time.

There was no immediate statement from Israeli authorities regarding Sunday's strikes on Damascus.

However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based opposition war monitor, said ambulances had transported wounded people to hospitals.

The targets were sites used by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, it said.

The observatory said the attack was the 17th by Israel on Syrian territory since the beginning of the year.

It was also the first on Damascus since late March.

The last suspected Israeli air strike was on international airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on May 2.

The attack left seven dead, including a Syrian soldier, and put the airport out of commission, state media said at the time.

Since the start of the war in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of aerial attacks against regime positions, as well as on Iranian and Hezbollah forces, allies of Damascus and arch-foes of Israel.

Israel rarely comments on the strikes on a case-by-case basis, but says it seeks to prevent Iran from establishing a foothold on its doorstep.