Syria Says Israeli Air Strikes Target Areas Near Damascus

CAIRO - Israel carried out air strikes on targets near Damascus early Friday, triggering Syrian air defenses but causing no casualties, Syrian state media reported, the second such attack in just over two weeks.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the report. A Syrian military source quoted by state media said Syrian air defenses shot down most of the Israeli missiles and only material damage was done in the attack launched at 1:26 a.m. Israel has for several years been mounting attacks on what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces including Lebanon's Hezbollah have established a presence since deploying to help President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict that erupted in 2011. Overnight, around the time Syria reported the air strike, many residents of central Israel reported hearing a large explosion.