Israeli missiles strike near Damascus airport: Syrian state media

Israel warns of growing Iranian military presence in neighbouring Syria, which it sees as a threat to its safety

Syrian state media said early on Tuesday that two Israeli missiles struck near Damascus International Airport, without adding any details.

In a report in the early hours of Tuesday, Syria's state news agency said "two Israeli missiles came down near Damascus international airport".



The head of monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, also told AFP that "the Israeli missiles hit arms depots for Hezbollah near the airport".

He said the air strike took place at 1:00 am local time "without causing huge explosions" even though they hit the weapons stores.

The observatory added that the Syrian air defence "failed to intercept the missiles".



Israel has warned of a growing Iranian military presence in neighbouring Syria, which it sees as a threat to its safety.

Its military has been carrying out strikes on Iranian and Iran-affiliated targets in Syria, with a US official saying it was Israeli forces that carried out a deadly strike against an Iraqi paramilitary base in eastern Syria on June 17.

Israeli seized a large swathe of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, in a move never recognised by the international community.

The area around Damascus International Airport has seen repeated attacks over several years.