Syria Confronts ‘Hostile Target’ West of Damascus

FILE - Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria, May 10, 2018.

Syrian state media said Saturday its air defenses had confronted a “hostile target” breaching the country’s air space west of the capital Damascus in the early hours of the morning.

State news agency SANA, quoting its correspondent, said there were reports of “air defenses confronting a hostile target breaching the skies above the area of Deir al-Asha’ir in the Damascus countryside.”

The area is close to the Lebanese border.

Syrian air defenses were similarly activated over west Damascus last Thursday night.

SANA suggested Israel was to blame for the incursions.

“In the past few weeks, the Israeli enemy has attacked military positions,” it said.

Israel, concerned that Iran’s growing presence in Syria poses a threat to its security, has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the country’s seven-year conflict.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli military said it did not comment on foreign reports.

Damascus last month took back control of its entire border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and its southwest border with Jordan after an offensive that began in June.