Israel Bombards Syria With Airstrikes Targeting Iranian Military Sites

Israeli warplanes attacked Iranian targets in Syria on Sunday, launching dozens of missiles within around 50 minutes, after an Iranian rocket was fired from Syria toward the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights by the elite Quds Force a branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2019) Israeli warplanes attacked Iranian targets in Syria on Sunday, launching dozens of missiles within around 50 minutes, after an Iranian rocket was fired from Syria toward the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights by the elite Quds Force a branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

A Syrian military source said that a significant number of Israeli missiles were intercepted and therefore failed to reach their targets.

On Sunday, a source in the Syrian military told Sputnik that the Israeli forces attacked the south of the country with missiles, which were intercepted by the Syrian air defense forces.

"Our air defense systems have repelled Israel's air strike in a southern [Syrian] region. All missiles have been intercepted, none of them hit their targets," the source said.

Shortly afterward, the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) said via their official Twitter account that they had intercepted a missile fired at northern Golan Heights on the border with Syria.

"A rocket was fired at the northern Golan Heights and was intercepted by the Iron Dome Aerial Defense System," the IDF said in a tweet.

Israel later ordered that the country's only ski resort, Mount Hermon, located in this region, be temporarily closed.

The Russian National Defense Management Center, in turn, said later in the day that Syria's air defense forces had repelled an airstrike with four F-16 fighter jets at 1:32 p.m. Moscow time (10:32 GMT). According to the center, seven missiles that were fired at Damascus International Airport by Israeli jets from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea were shot down.

Following the airstrike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that that his country's opposition to Iran's military presence in Syria was a "permanent policy."

Early on Monday, a Sputnik correspondent reported that powerful blasts could be heard over Damascus at around 1:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT on Sunday), and at least three missiles could be seen flying over Damascus.

The state-run Syrian Arab news Agency reported, citing its correspondent, that the Syrian air defense was repelling an enemy-initiated attack and had shot down several targets.

The IDF later announced via Twitter that Israel was now targeting Iranian positions in Syria.

"We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory. We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory," the IDF said.

According to the IDF, Israel targeted Iranian military facilities, including weapons depots in the area of Damascus International Airport, an intelligence center and a training camp.

A source in the Syrian military told Sputnik that Israel sent guided missiles in several waves.

"The Israeli enemy struck a massive air and ground attack with several 'waves' of guided missiles. Our air defense systems immediately began to repel the attack," the source said.

State-run broadcaster Ikhbariya reported that Syrian air defense forces had shot down dozens of Israeli targets, stressing that various types of weapons had been used in the attack.

According to the broadcaster, the missiles were launched from Lebanon's airspace, the northern part of the Israeli region of Galilee and the area of Lake Tiberias.

The blasts stopped after 2 a.m.

On Monday morning, the Russian National Defense Management Center said that the IDF had carried out a total of three airstrikes against Syria the previous night, causing partial damage to Damascus International Airport, killing four Syrian soldiers and injuring six others.

According to the center, over 30 cruise missiles and guided bombs were intercepted by the Syrian air defense.

The Israeli military claim that, during the attack, they also hit two air defense systems operated by Syria, after Syrian forces fired dozens of surface-to-air missiles to intercept the Israeli missiles despite Israel's warning.

"During our strike, dozens of Syrian surface-to-air missiles were launched, despite clear warnings to avoid such fire. In response, we also targeted several of the Syrian Armed Forces' aerial defense batteries," the IDF said.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry then once again demanded that the United Nations take immediate action to prevent further attacks by Israel.

Netanyahu said that Israel would not stop trying to expel Iranian forces from Syria.