Israeli airstrikes said to hit targets near Damascus

Israeli jets carried out airstrikes against targets near the Syrian capital of Damascus early Monday morning, Syrian state TV reported.

The alleged strikes were the first since Russia announced last week it was carrying out joint military jet patrols with the Syrian air force of the airspace along Syria’s borders, including in the Golan Heights area.

Syrian state media SANA said the strikes caused “material damage,” but did not elaborate further. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israeli airstrikes generally target arms shipments from Iran to its proxies in Syria and Lebanon, notably the Hezbollah terrorist militia.

According to SANA, the Israeli missiles were fired at approximately 3 a.m. from aircraft flying near Beirut.

The report said the Syrian military’s air defenses were activated in response to the strike. The state broadcaster alleged that several of the incoming missiles were intercepted, but analysts generally dismiss such claims — heard after nearly every Israeli airstrike — as false, empty boasts.

Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses specific operations. Many of the strikes in the past targeted the main airport in the capital Damascus, through which Iran is believed to transfer advanced arms to its proxies.

Israel has acknowledged that it targets the bases of Iranian forces and Iran-allied terror groups, particularly along the Golan border, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has fighters deployed in southern Syria. It says it also attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for those groups.

Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in the decade-long civil war.

In December, Israel reportedly carried out two high-profile strikes on the Syrian port of Latakia.

Last week Russia carried out a joint air patrol with the Syrian air force along the border with Israel, prompting speculation that Israel would be more hesitant to strike Syria.

Following the patrol, Ynet reported that Israeli military officials were holding talks with Russian army officers to calm tensions.

According to the report, Israeli officials were struggling to understand why Russia, which announced that such joint patrols were expected to be a regular occurrence moving forward, had apparently changed its policy toward Israel.

The report claimed, without citing a source, that Israel may limit its air campaign in Syria as a result of Russia’s move, even after discussions end.