A Syrian soldier was seriously injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes that targeted sites near Damascus early Wednesday morning, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.
العدوان الإسرائيلي نفذته طائرات حربية إسرائيلية أطلقت رشقات من الصواريخ من اتجاه الجولان السوري المحتل والجليل شمال فلسطين المحتلة، والمزيد من الفيديوهات وثقت تصدي الدفاع الجوي لعدد من صواريخ العدوان. pic.twitter.com/i5ztkHK8IL
— SAM (@SAMSyria0) June 13, 2023
A military source told SANA that Israeli aircraft carried out the strikes from the direction of the Golan Heights and targeted a number of sites southwest of Damascus.
The Capital Voice news site reported that explosions were heard in the area of the headquarters of the Syrian Army's 1st Division in al-Kiswah, south of Damascus, which is used by Iranian and Iran-backed forces as well. A fire broke out at the headquarters amid the strikes, according to the report.
متداول | اندلاع حريق ضخم في منطقة الكسوة بريف #دمشق نتيجة القصف الإسرائيلي pic.twitter.com/yCr74c2i2W
— Halab Today TV قناة حلب اليوم (@HalabTodayTV) June 13, 2023
A base used by Iran was reportedly built in the al-Kiswah area in 2017 and alleged Israeli strikes have targeted the area repeatedly in recent years.
Shortly before the airstrikes, a flight operated by Iran's Mahan Air landed at Damascus International Airport, according to flight tracking sites.
Mahan Air has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department as it is used by Iran to transport weapons, equipment and personnel throughout the region and the world.
Strikes come two weeks after last alleged Israeli strikes in Syria
The airstrikes on Wednesday come two weeks after the last reported alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria in late May, when strikes reportedly targeted sites in the Damascus area.
The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, part of Russia's Defense Ministry reported at the time that two warehouses were damaged in those strikes and no injuries were caused.
According to the Alma Research and Education Center, those strikes targeted sites north of Damascus near Hafir Fawqa and the Alhama neighborhood, estimating that some of the targets were Syrian air defense batteries.
The strikes are also the first since the IDF's large-scale "Firm Hand" exercise, which simulated a multi-front conflict in the air, at sea, on land and in the fields of cyber and the electromagnetic spectrum.