"Our air defenses intercepted hostile missiles in the airspace of Damascus and its countryside, shooting down a number of them," Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said on Saturday. It added that five Syrian soldiers were killed in the strikes.
Video posted on social media purported to be of the attack shows flashes in the sky similar to explosions seen when surface-to-air missiles strike their targets, and the roar of jet engines can be heard.
The strikes come amid an increased tempo of attack by Israel against targets in Syria, having bombed a major science center in Damascus and the international airport in the northern hub of Aleppo in the last month, alongside other strikes.
Some reports indicated the Saturday strike targeted Damascus International Airport, located southeast of the metropolitan area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed the targets were sites used by Iranian forces present in the country to help the Syrian government fight Daesh* and other terrorist groups.
Israel claims its attacks in Syria are aimed at keeping Iran or Syria from being able to prepare attacks against Israel.
*A terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.