Senior Hezbollah leaders are injured as Israel launches Christmas Day airstrikes in Syria, with Damascus weapons depot hit
- Israeli planes fired at multiple targets near Damascus, Syrian state media says
- Targets used by Iranian and Hezbollah forces operating in Syria, observers say
- Senior Hezbollah figures boarding plane to Iran were also wounded, sources say
- Comes after Donald Trump announced US forces will withdraw from the country
Israel has carried out Christmas Day airstrikes against targets around the Syrian capital Damascus, according to the country's state-run media.
Israeli warplanes flying above Lebanon reportedly launched 22 missiles at multiple targets used by Iran and Hezbollah, prompting Syrian air defences to fire back.
Senior Hezbollah figures boarding a plane bound for Iran were wounded during the attack, according to security sources who spoke to Newsweek.
Syrian air defences around Damascus began firing on Christmas Day after Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes against arms dumps around the city, state media reported
Syria said that most incoming missiles were destroyed, but that one of the depots was hit, wounding three soldiers
The airstrike was conducted just minutes after they had boarded the aircraft.
Three soldiers were also wounded during the attack after explosives hit an arms dump, according to Syrian media.
Pro-Iranian military outposts, air defence facilities and military headquarters were also damaged in the strikes, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Syrian media said that most of the incoming missiles were intercepted by its defences, which were filmed firing overnight.
Share this article
The attacks come after President Donald Trump said that America will withdraw all 2,000 troops from the country.
The news stoked fears in Israel that Iran and Hezbollah will exploit the power vaccum to further entrench themselves in Syria, which Israel views as an existential threat.
One of the incoming missiles hit an arms dump injuring three soldiers, according to Syria. Israel has not acknowledged any strikes took place.
Meanwhile Turkey began massing tanks along its border with Syria as countries moved to fill the power vaccum that will be left after America withdraws its troops.
The sky glows red over Damascus after missiles, believed to have been fired by Israeli warplanes, struck an arms dump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would 'continue to act against Iran's attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria, and to the extent necessary, we will even expand our actions there.'
Nearly an hour after the attacks began, Damascus residents could still hear the air defense units firing toward targets in the air.
'The aggression is still ongoing,' said a presenter on state TV, which interrupted its programs to air patriotic songs.
Later the TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Syrian air defenses 'shot down most of the missiles before reaching their targets and the aggression damaged an arms depot and wounded three soldiers.'
It added that the Israeli warplanes fired the missiles from Lebanese airspace.
Israel's military spokesman's unit did not confirm the raids, but said in a statement that 'an aerial defense system was activated against an anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria.'
No damage or injuries were reported by the Israeli military.
