Israel strikes Damascus

DAMASCUS – Israeli shelling hit a village south of Damascus on Wednesday evening, causing material damage.

This is Israel’s second aerial assault on Syria this month, following its February 9 strike on anti-aircraft positions in response to a missile fired from Syria.

SANA cited a military source as saying that “the Israeli enemy carried out a strike with numerous surface-to-surface missiles” from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, hitting the town of Zakiya at approximately 11:35 p.m. (21:35 GMT).

The target of Wednesday’s assault, according to a war monitor, was a Syrian army position.

“The shelling hit a government military installation,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights’ Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The UK-based monitor depends on a large network of insider informants in Syria.

Since the outbreak of civil conflict in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air attacks, hitting government sites as well as Iran-backed troops and Hezbollah soldiers. Israel has stated repeatedly that it wishes to prevent its arch-foe Iran from establishing a presence in Syria.