Watchdog: 7 killed in Israeli missile attack near Damascus

At least seven military personnel, on Friday were killed in an Israeli missile attack near the Syrian capital Damascus, a war monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights noted that three members of the Syrian Government forces and four allied Iranian officers were killed in the overnight attack that targeted the area of Damascus International Airport.
According to the Britain-based watchdog, the area was targeted after an unidentified cargo plane had arrived at the airport.
It added it was unclear if the plane had flown from Iran or from Syria.

Iran is a main supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier, Syria’s state media reported that the Syrian air defense had confronted “hostile targets” near Damascus.
The official News Agency SANA, said the army observed hostile missiles coming from over the occupied Syrian Golan, and immediately the army air defense intercepted and downed a number of them before they could heat their targets.
However, the agency did not give further details.
A Syrian military source said that the missiles were fired by Israel and targeted areas in the South-Western countryside of Damascus.
Meanwhile, residents in the area said sounds of explosions were heard south of the capital and in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport.
However, Israeli Government was yet to comment on the issue. Israel had conducted similar strikes inside war-torn Syria, adding that it was trying to prevent Iran from building up its military influence in the region.
Earlier, the Observatory, a war monitor that had been documenting violence in Syria since 2011, said at least 23 members of Syria’s Government forces and their Iranian allies had been killed in Israeli airstrikes near Damascus. (dpa/NAN)