Alleged Israeli airstrike targets sites near Damascus

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An alleged Israeli airstrike targeted sites near Damascus on Thursday night, in the second Israeli strike in Syria in a week, according to Syrian reports.

Syrian air defenses responded to the strike, with only material damage being caused by the strike, according to Syrian state news agency SANA. The strike was carried out from over the Golan Heights.

The strike targeted sites near the towns of Rakhlah and Qatana, southwest of Damascus, according to the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV. The Scientific Studies and Research Center in Jamraya was also targeted, according to the Step News Agency.

The Scientific Studies and Research Center in Jamraya was last targeted by an alleged Israeli airstrike in February, according to the Syrian Capital Voice news site. A Syrian soldier and five civilians were killed in that strike.

The strike on Thursday night was the second alleged Israeli airstrike to hit Syria in the past week.
On Saturday, a rare daytime alleged Israeli airstrike targeted sites near Masyaf in northwestern Syria, according to Syrian reports.

The airstrikes were carried out from over northern Lebanon, with Syrian air defenses responding to the strikes, according to Syrian state news site SANA. According to SANA, only material damage was caused.

The Step News Agency reported that the strikes targeted sites belonging to pro-Iranian militias and scientific research sites in Masyaf.

Satellite imagery from Sentinel Hub shared by open-source intelligence account Aurora Intel showed at least four different targets in the strikes near Masyaf, including the Zawi Defense Factory, the Scientific Studies and Research Center, a Syrian Army complex, and another site far away from Masyaf in Suwaydah.

The area of Masyaf has been a target in several attacks in recent years, mostly attributed to the Israeli Air Force (IAF). The last time an airstrike attributed to Israel targeted the area of Masyaf was in early June, when an alleged Israeli airstrike targeted chemical weapons facilities in the city and in other locations, according to The Washington Post.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-704257