Syrian forces thwarted an air offensive, allegedly by Israeli forces, which targeted points in southern Damascus in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Syrian state media (SANA), shooting down most of the missiles launched towards the area.
The missile attack led to one person injured, as well as material damages. Israel has not commented on the offensive.
The attack targeted three sites of Iranian-backed forces on the campus of Damascus International Airport, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), adding that it was the 15th offensive conducted by Israel in Syria since the start of the year.
The Syrian transport ministry announced later on Friday that faulty technical equipment at the Damascus International Airport had led to suspending flights, postponing them until “the equipment is repaired and the safety and operational movement of the airport is ensured.”
The SOHR stated that the flights were suspended because the northern runway of the airport was damaged and out of service due to the missile attack.
Syrian air defense intercepted Israeli missiles south of the capital earlier this week on Monday evening, causing no casualties.
“When the terrorist began to recede and his morale collapsed, it was necessary for the Israeli intervention to raise the morale of the terrorists and re-mobilize them, so what is happening now by Israel comes in this context and does not come in any other context,” SANA cited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as saying on Thursday in light of the recent attacks.
Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes inside the country, targeting government positions as well as allied Iran-backed forces and fighters of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Eleven years on, the conflict has killed at least 350,000 Syrians and displaced more than half of the pre-war population. According to the UNHCR, 6.6 million Syrians are refugees; mostly in neighboring countries including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
