BEIRUT, February 19. /TASS/. At least five people, including one Syrian serviceman, were killed in an Israeli air force missile attack on the southwestern districts of Damascus, the Syrian armed forces command said in a statement, cited by the SANA news agency.
"The Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression against Syria on Sunday at 00:22 am (01:22 Moscow time - TASS)," the statement said, "The missiles were fired from the airspace over the occupied Golan Heights at some areas in the city of Damascus and its environs." It noted that the strike caused significant material damage, including the destruction of homes in residential neighborhoods.
"Five people were killed, including one serviceman, and 15 other citizens were wounded," the statement pointed out, "Some of the people were taken to the hospital are in serious condition." The document stressed that "Syrian air defenses opened fire on air targets and managed to shoot down several missiles."
For its part, the Al-Hadath TV channel broadcasting from Dubai reported that Israeli strikes were launched against a Shiite militia camp in the southwest of Damascus. According to his information, the strike also lauched against a radar station in As-Suwayda in southern Syria.
On January 2, during the Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Damascus, two Syrian servicemen were killed and two others were wounded. The international airport in the Syrian capital was shut down for hours.