Israeli missiles strike Syrian town south of Damascus

Israel has fired several surface-to-surface missiles targeting sites south of Syrian capital Damascus, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

The shelling struck a town south of Damascus on Wednesday evening, causing material damage.

This is the second Israeli aerial strike on Syria this month, after it targeted anti-aircraft batteries on February 9 in response to what it said was a missile fired from Syria.

A Syrian soldier was killed and five wounded in the attack near Damascus earlier this month.

“The Israeli enemy carried out a strike with several surface-to-surface missiles” from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, targeting Zakiya town at about 11:35pm (21:35 GMT), SANA reported, citing a military source.

A war monitor said the target of Wednesday’s shelling was a Syrian army post.

“The shelling targeted a regime military post,” Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP news agency.

The UK-based monitor relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria.

Israel has launched hundreds of attacks on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over the past decade of Syria’s war, but its government rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Israel, whose attacks have targeted government positions as well as Iran-backed forces and fighters of the armed Shia movement Hezbollah, has said it seeks to prevent its arch foe Iran from extending a footprint in Syria.