Syria repels Israeli attack on Aleppo as missiles shot down before reaching their targets – state media

Syria’s air defenses thwarted an Israeli attack on Aleppo city early Friday morning, as multiple missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets, Syrian state-run television reported.

The strikes occurred around 1:30am local time on Friday, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported, citing a military source who noted the country’s air defenses had repelled “most of the enemy missiles.” The source pinned the attack on Israel, however Tel Aviv has yet to comment on the incident. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The news agency shared footage of the blast on social media, while an unconfirmed photo purporting to show smoke rising from an area around al-Safirah, a town in Aleppo’s countryside, also made the rounds online.

The attack comes amid a possible escalation in attacks by Israel on Iranian targets inside Syria. Israeli jets reportedly struck a military site near Homs earlier this month, while a missile attack targeting military posts south of Damascus in late August killed two soldiers and wounded seven, according to Syria’s Defense Ministry.

Syria’s missile defenses have had some success in repelling the attacks. Several missiles launched by Israeli warplanes from Lebanese airspace were shot down in April, Syria’s SANA news agency reported.

While Tel Aviv seldom confirms its strikes on Syria, in a rare admission last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged bombing “hundreds” of Iranian and Hezbollah targets in the country throughout its years-long war.

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