Israel bombs Damascus, killing 7, including 4 Iranians

By Ali Abo Rezeg

ANKARA (AA) - Israeli bombing of the Syrian capital Damascus overnight Thursday into Friday led to the killing of seven people, including four Iranian officers, a Syrian observatory center said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported, quoting local sources, that the bombing killed three members of the Syrian regime, including two officers, and four Iranians.

It added that Israeli missiles targeted the Damascus International Airport area.

The group also said the attacks took place after the arrival of a cargo plane to the targeted area, adding that it is unclear “whether the plane arrived from Iran or from another area inside Syrian territory."

Syrian official news agency SANA reported late on Thursday that the army's air defenses "intercepted hostile targets in the airspace of Damascus."

Citing a military source, SANA added that "at 23.45 p.m. [2145GMT] on Thursday, the army observed hostile missiles coming from over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and immediately the army air defenses intercepted and downed a number of them before they reach their targets."

"The hostile missiles came from over the occupied Syrian Golan," it added, referring to the Israeli warplanes.

Israeli officials, however, have yet to officially claim responsibility for the reported strike.

Since the outbreak of the Syria conflict in early 2011, Israel has occasionally struck positions inside the war-torn country.

Iranian-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah militants have been fighting alongside Syrian regime forces since 2012.