Israeli missiles targeted a Syrian government research centre early Wednesday, sources close to the government told dpa.
The army later confirmed a missile strike by Israel on a military site near Damascus, without specifying further, according to a report on the state-run news agency SANA.
According to sources close to the Syrian government the missiles were aimed at a “research centre” in the town of Jamraya, just north of the capital, which had also been the target of previous Israeli strikes.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli army declined to comment on the report.
Loud explosions were heard outside Damascus early Wednesday.
The Syrian army’s air defence system had “dealt with these missiles and destroyed a number of them before reaching their targets,” one source told dpa.
Israeli planes usually use Lebanese airspace to fire missiles at targets around the capital Damascus.
In November, Syria said Israeli jets raided targets in rural areas of the central province of Homs.
Israel has carried out a number of strikes usually focused on areas in which the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, a major ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, has a presence.
The Pro-Iran Hezbollah has been fighting alongside al-Assad’s forces since an anti-government uprising began in Syria in 2011.
