DAMASCUS: Syrian air defences intercepted Israeli missiles over the capital Monday, state media reported, during an attack which a war monitor said hit several positions of regime forces and Iran-backed militias.
"Air defences intercepted Israeli missiles" over the skies of Damascus, the official SANA news agency said.
AFP correspondents in Damascus said they heard several loud blasts.
A military spokesman in Israel told AFP that its army "does not comment on foreign reports".
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Israeli attack hit several targets.
"At least six Israeli missiles hit several positions belonging to regime forces and pro-Iran militias south of Damascus," Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.
"Air defences did not intercept a single target," he said, adding it was unknown if there were casualties and the extent of damage remained unclear.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of its civil war in 2011.
It has targeted government troops, allied Iranian forces and fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, saying its goal is to end Tehran's military presence in Syria.
It rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria but says Iran's presence in support of the regime is a threat and that Israel will keep up strikes.
The nine-year-old conflict in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced more than half of the country's pre-war population.
Syria says Israeli missiles intercepted over capital
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Syria says Israeli missiles intercepted over capital
Three vessels hit by projectiles in Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI: Three vessels have been hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security agencies and sources said on Wednesday.
One of the strikes led to a fire onboard a ship and forced most of its crew to evacuate it.
The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was targeted and damaged approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman, two maritime security sources cited by Reuters have said.
The fire had been extinguished and that there was no environmental impact, a report by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said later, referring to the incident. Necessary crew remained on the vessel.
Earlier, a container ship and a bulk carrier were hit off the coast of the UAE by unknown projectiles, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery accounting for about 20% of global oil and gas supply, has dropped rapidly since the Iran conflict began on February 28.
The latest incidents increase the number of ships that have been attacked since the conflict began to at least 14.
(with Reuters)
