According to state media, Israeli missile attacks near Damascus killed at least two civilians before daybreak on Monday.
According to Syria’s official SANA news agency, which cited a military source, Israel launched the strikes at around 5:00 a.m. (0300 GMT), striking sites south of the city.
“Our air defense systems intercepted the missiles, downing most of them,” SANA added.
“Two civilians were killed and some material damage was incurred,” it said, without elaborating.
The strikes attacked “a weapons and ammunition warehouse maintained by Iran-backed militias near the Damascus international airport,” according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, headquartered in the United Kingdom.
The war monitor, which depends on a large network of insider informants, said it couldn’t confirm civilian deaths.
Israel has carried out operations in Syria at least seven times since the beginning of the year, according to the Observatory.
According to the Observatory, two Syrian military and four Iranian-backed militia fighters were killed in Israeli attacks near the capital last month.
Since the civil war in Syria erupted in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes within the nation, hitting government sites as well as allied Iran-backed troops and Hezbollah soldiers.
While Israel seldom discusses specific strikes in Syria, it has acknowledged that there have been hundreds since 2011.
The Israeli military has justified the strikes as vital to prevent Iran from acquiring a foothold on Israel’s southern border.
Syria’s crisis began with the ruthless repression of peaceful protests and grew to include foreign powers and international Islamists. It has claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 people.
