Israel Launches Airstrikes Targeting Syrian Capital of Damascus

According to The Cradle, the incident marks the 17th time Israel has bombed Syria this year

Israel launched airstrikes in Syria on Sunday night, hitting targets near the capital Damascus that caused material damage, Syria’s SANA news agency reported.

A military source told SANA that the airstrikes were launched from the direction of the Golan Heights and that Syria’s air defenses intercepted some of the missiles. No casualties were reported in the strikes.

According to The Cradle, the incident marked the 17th time Israel has bombed Syria this year and the 12th time since a devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria in February, killing thousands of Syrians.

Several of those airstrikes targeted the airport in Aleppo, a city that was severely impacted by the earthquake. The Israeli attacks put the airport temporarily out of service three times, cutting off a channel for earthquake aid.

Last week, Israeli Defense Yoav Gallant said the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled Israeli airstrikes in Syria since taking power at the end of December. The escalation came as Netanyahu faces a political crisis over his planned judicial overhaul.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.