Syrian soldier ‘severely wounded’ in Israeli airstrikes near Damascus

A Syrian soldier was “severely wounded” in air strikes carried out by Israel near Damascus early Wednesday, according to state news agency SANA. Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital early Wednesday, AFP reported. “At around 01:05 am (2205 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights targeting several positions southwest of Damascus,” SANA cited a military source as saying. The source did not provide details on the targets and said the strikes “severely wounded” a soldier and caused material damage. Syria’s air defence intercepted some of the Israeli missiles, the source added. The Israeli strikes targeted “arms depots belonging to pro-Iran fighters, and caused a fire,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor that relies on a vast network of sources on the ground. While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its archfoe Iran to extend its footprint there. Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian territory over the course of the country’s more than ten-year conflict, mostly focusing on Iranian-backed troops, Lebanese Hezbollah combatants, and Syrian army locations. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.