Israel has delivered a missile attack targeting the province of Quneitra, in southern Syria, on Wednesday night, the Syrian SANA news agency reported, adding that it was repelled by the country's air defense.
The Syrian army command later issued a statement confirming the attack. It added that the country's air defenses shot down most missiles and Syria sustained material damage.
At 10.42 pm, Israel "carried out an aggression" from the airspace of the Golan Heights, using air-to-ground and surface-to-surface missiles to attack targets in the south, SANA said.
Videos shared on social media show a projectile exploding in the night air. Explosions were reportedly heard near Damascus International Airport.
#فيديو #سانا..
— سانا عاجل (@SanaAjel) February 3, 2021
دفاعاتنا الجوية تتصدى لعد.وان إسر.ائيلي في #المنطقة_الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/xqvjbQLFWK
#فيديو #سانا..
— سانا عاجل (@SanaAjel) February 3, 2021
من تصدي دفاعاتنا الجوية للعــــدوان الإســرائيلي الذي يستهدف #المنطقة_الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/nw1q934OBp
Other media reports also indicated that Israeli fighter jets were used in the reported attack. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Sputnik that "we do not comment on foreign media reports."
דוווחים סורים: התקיפה של חיל האוויר הישראלי כעת בסוריה היא על כמה יעדים מלבד שדה התעופה הבינלאומי של דמשק. בשעות האחרונות נצפו שני מטוסים צבאיים איראניים פורקים משלוח נשק בסוריה. ניתן להעריך כי התקיפה הנטענת אינה תקיפת תגובה לירי טיל הקרקע האוויר בידי חיזבאללה לעבר המלט בצהריים. pic.twitter.com/eofwsmoffv
— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) February 3, 2021
In late January, the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the United Nations in the wake of earlier aggression in the vicinity of Hama city, blaming Israel for conducting airstrikes against the country's territories and calling on the UN to condemn Israel.
Israel reportedly uses Lebanon's airspace to launch strikes against Syria, which has also heightened tensions between Tel-Aviv and Beirut, in addition to their rival claims over territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.
Tel-Aviv rarely takes to comment on the frequent strikes. However, in early December, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi said that Israel has conducted numerous operations in Syria targeting what the Israeli military claims are Iranian-backed groups allegedly located in the Arab Republic.