Beirut | Israeli strikes targeted a Lebanese Hezbollah military post and arms depot near the Syrian capital Damascus at dawn on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) reported.
“Positions of the Lebanese group Hezbollah in the eastern region of Qalamoun, northeast of Damascus, were targeted by Israeli strikes at dawn,” the Observatory said.
The NGO, which has a vast network of sources in Syria, indicates that the attack triggered several fires “in military positions and ammunition depots belonging to Hezbollah”.
The Observatory evokes human losses, without giving a precise assessment.
Syrian state media claimed that the attack only caused material damage, without specifying its target.
“At 3:05 a.m. today, the Israeli enemy carried out an airstrike firing several missiles, targeting positions around Damascus,” the SANA news agency said.
“Our air defenses responded to the attack and intercepted some” of the missiles, adds SANA.
Asked by AFP about these strikes, the Israeli army said “not to comment on information from foreign media”.
Since the start of the war in Syria nearly 11 years ago, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in its neighbor, targeting army positions as well as Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah fighters and other Iranian-backed forces. .
Israel rarely comments on its strikes, but has repeatedly said it will not allow its enemy Iran to expand its influence in Syria.
Triggered in 2011 by the repression of pro-democracy demonstrations, the war in Syria has become more complex over the years with the involvement of regional and international powers and the rise of jihadists. The conflict has killed around 500,000 people, devastated the country’s infrastructure and displaced millions of people.