Israeli warplanes target Syrian air defense battery; Damascus says most missiles intercepted

Israeli warplanes target Syrian air defense battery; Damascus says most missiles intercepted
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Israeli authorities inspect the remains of what the military said is a Syrian anti-aircraft rocket that exploded in the air, in the town of Rahat, Israel, on July 2, 2023. (AP Photo)
Israeli warplanes target Syrian air defense battery; Damascus says most missiles intercepted
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This picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency on Feb. 24, 2020, reportedly shows Syrian air defense intercepting an Israeli missile in the sky over Damascus. SANA on Sunday said local air defenses shot down most of the Israeli missiles targetting Homs region. (AFP)
Israeli warplanes target Syrian air defense battery; Damascus says most missiles intercepted
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Israeli F-16 warplanes, shown in this file photo, have figured in repeated Israeli airstrikes on targets in Syria over the past years. (Shutterstock image)
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Updated 02 July 2023
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Israeli warplanes target Syrian air defense battery; Damascus says most missiles intercepted

Israeli warplanes target Syrian air defense battery; Damascus says most missiles intercepted
  • The target was used to launch an anti-aircraft missile toward Israel, says military
  • An army statement said the missiles that were able to evade air defenses  destroyed some structures in Homs

AMMAN: Syria said it repelled a missile salvo on Sunday from Israel, where police reported that remnants of a Syrian anti-aircraft missile struck a remote town without causing injuries.
Israel has in recent months intensified strikes on Syrian airports and air bases to disrupt Iran’s increasing use of aerial supply lines to deliver arms to allies in Syria and Lebanon, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Syrian state media said air defenses intercepted Israeli missiles across central parts of the country, downing most of them. A Syrian army statement said missiles that flew over parts of Lebanon’s capital Beirut hit locations in the vicinity of the city of Homs, resulting only in material damage.
An Israeli military spokesperson said warplanes struck targets including a Syrian air defense battery from which an anti-aircraft missile was launched toward Israel.
After a mid-air explosion heard across Israel, remnants of the Syrian missile landed in Rahat, a town some 180 km (110 miles) south of the armistice line between the countries, Israeli police said. There was no word of any casualties.
Local media showed what appeared to be the blackened front end of a large missile, standing upright in an open area among residential buildings, and tail-fins in a field.
The Israeli military said its warplanes were unscathed.
The Israeli strikes are part of an escalation of what has been a low-intensity conflict continuing for years with a goal of slowing Iran’s growing entrenchment in Syria, Israeli military experts say.
Tehran’s influence has grown in Syria since it began supporting President Bashar Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.
Fighters allied to Iran, including Hezbollah, now hold sway in areas in eastern, southern and northwestern Syria and in several suburbs around the capital.