Beirut, 10 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) – Israeli forces have struck targets near Damascus from their bases on the Golan Heights, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported early on Saturday, citing military sources.

Large explosions were heard to the west of the Syrian capital.

Syrian air defences had downed some of the incoming rockets, and only material damage had been caused, SANA reported.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that residential buildings to the west of Damascus had been hit, and that one person had been killed.

On Friday evening, the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on an Israeli barracks on the Golan Heights, saying it had fired "dozens of rockets." This was not confirmed from the Israeli side.

The Shiite militia regularly attacks northern Israel from its bases in southern Lebanon.

Israel's air force has in the past bombed targets in Syria with the aim of hitting Iranian forces based there and interdicting arms supply routes to Hezbollah, a close ally of Tehran.

The attacks have increased in frequency since the October 7 attacks mounted from the Gaza Strip.