ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A barrage of suspected Israeli missiles targeted the vicinity of the capital Damascus on Wednesday, wounding at least one soldier of the Syrian army, reported Syrian state media (SANA). The missiles were launched from the occupied Golan Heights towards positions in southwest of Damascus, resulting in material damage and severely wounding the soldier, said SANA, adding that Syrian air forces had intercepted a number of the missiles. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the missiles had targeted and destroyed warehouses belonging to pro-Iran militias in the vicinity of the Damascus international airport, adding that the Syrian air forces were unsuccessful in intercepting the attack. At least 50 people, including two civilians, have been killed and 37 others wounded as a result of 18 Israeli missile strikes on Syria since the start of the year, according to war monitor. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas of Syria throughout its 12-year civil war, often claiming to target pro-Iran militias, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah group, which supports the Syrian army. However, it very rarely claims responsibility for attacks on Syria. Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war consisting of long-running covert attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as sabotage and cyber-attacks. Iranian fighters are also frequently targeted in suspected Israeli strikes in Syria.
