Israel launches airstrikes near Damascus: Syria TV
The Daily Star/Dec. 07, 2014
BEIRUT: Israeli war jets Sunday bombed targets around the Damascus airport and in a town near the Lebanese border, causing only material damage, Syrian state TV and the army said.
The report said the attacks targeted areas where no fighting is taking place around the town of Dimas near Lebanon, and outside the Damascus international airport.
“The Israeli enemy committed aggression against Syria by targeting two stable regions in Damascus province, in all of Dimas and near the Damascus international airport,” Syria TV said in a news flash.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Mouqawama Twitter account and the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights both said Israel launched at least 10 strikes.
The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said that at least one of the strikes in Dimas targeted a military position.
The General Command of the Syrian army confirmed the attack in a statement.
“Israeli aggressions will not deter us from pursuing the fight against terrorism” after its string of victories against the Nusra Front and ISIS in Deir al-Zor and Aleppo, the army said.
“The Israeli attack clearly confirms Tel Aviv’s direct involvement in supporting terrorism in Syria, along with several well-known Western and regional states,” it added.
Israel has targeted Syrian targets on several occasions since the outbreak of the Syrian war nearly four years ago. The last attack was reported in June when Israeli strikes on the Golan Heights killed several Syrian army soldiers.
In October 2013, Israel bombed a Syrian air defense base outside the port city of Latakia. Several months earlier, in May, Israeli jets struck several targets, including the Dimas airport.
Observers have speculated that some of Israel’s strikes in Syria target weapons it believes may be destined for Hezbollah.
Israel has not confirmed Sunday’s strikes, but officials after past air raid have hinted that it was behind the attacks.
