Israeli missiles hit targets in southern Syria, killing one soldier and causing extensive damage, Syrian media reported early Thursday.
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A Syrian military source told state-run SANA news agency that the attack took place around 1 a.m., when planes came from the Golan Heights and targeted areas near Damascus. He did not specify what was targeted.
The source also said that several of the missiles were shot down by Syrian missile defense systems. Residents in the area reported hearing explosions.
Israel made no comment on the strike, as it rarely responds to reports of attacks north of its borders. Leaders in the Jewish state, both military and political, have stated that Israel will not tolerate Iran's presence in Syria.
Last week, Syria's military claimed Israeli warplanes fired missiles on the port of the coastal city of Latakia. It was a rare attack on the port, a vital facility where much of Syria's imports are brought into the war-torn country. According to Israel's Kan 11 News, weapons earmarked for Hezbollah were being stored in the containers.
Meanwhile, Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern said on Tuesday that Syria cannot be allowed to obtain chemical weapons, after a report emerged that Israel targeted the country's chemical weapons facilities.
In an interview with Army Radio, Stern would not directly comment on the report in the Washington Post that said that Israel struck Syria on two occasions – once this year and once last year – in a bid to block attempts to rebuild its chemical weapons stockpile. But Stern, a retired military general, hinted that Israel could not accept such weapons in the hands of its enemy to the north.
"We have a neighbor who has already proved that it doesn't hesitate to use chemical weapons even against its own people," he said. Syrian President Bashas "Assad must not have chemical weapons."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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