Syria destroys ‘hostile’ aircraft over capital: Reports

By Selen Temizer

ANKARA (AA) - Syria's Assad regime thwarted an aerial attack over western Damascus, the country’s official SANA news agency reported Friday.

According to SANA, Syrian air defenses intercepted and destroyed a “hostile” aircraft over the capital on Thursday evening.

The news agency did not provide any additional details.

Other pro-regime media outlets, however, reported that Syrian air defenses had successfully intercepted and destroyed two Israeli unmanned aerial drones over the Qatana district in the Rif Dimashq province (located roughly 30 kilometers southwest of Damascus).

Israel, for its part, has yet to issue any official statements regarding the reports.

SANA also confirmed on Friday that Israeli warplanes had struck a military position in Syria’s western Hama province on July 23.

Over the course of the last three months, Israel has carried out a series of air raids targeting Iranian military positions inside Syrian territory.

Israel frequently accuses Tehran of exploiting the ongoing conflict in Syria -- where Iranian troops fight alongside regime forces -- to establish a permanent military presence near Israel’s border.