S-300 air
© Russian Defence Ministry via SputnikFILE PHOTO: Russian military personnel unload S-300 air defense systems delivered to Syria
Explosions were heard in the sky over Damascus as Syrian air defense systems responded to an attack coming from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights.

The Syrian capital and surrounding areas often come under air attacks which the country blames on Israel. Tel Aviv rarely admits its military raids against the neighbor, but this time the IDF swiftly confirmed the strike.

The General Command of the Army warned on Saturday that any violation of its airspace will be met with a military response and any aircraft doing it will be regarded as "hostile target." The latest attack, however, came from outside the Syrian airspace with missiles coming from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights.

The last time Tel Aviv rained down missiles on Damascus was 10 days ago. Another attack on February 6 endangered lives of 172 passengers and crew aboard a Damascus-bound Airbus A320 from Tehran.

The attack on Syria took place close to midnight on Sunday, while Gaza was shelled earlier in the day. IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Twitter that "terrorist targets" belonging to Islamic Jihad came under fire in a rare admission of strikes against Syria.

A Syrian military source cited by SANA state TV said that most of the missiles failed to reach their targets and were intercepted. Damascus and surrounding areas frequently come under fire from the occupied Golan Heights, with one attack in early February endangering a passenger plane.


Tel Aviv justified the attack as a necessary response to the shelling of southern Israel on Sunday from Gaza by "Iran-backed Islamic Jihad." The escalation came after the IDF killed a man they claimed had been planting explosives at the border, and removed his body with a bulldozer, outraging many Palestinians.