Five Syrian soldiers died on Saturday as several missiles launched by Israel struck Damascus International Airport and targets to the south of the capital, according to a military source cited by the government news agency SANA. The official described the strike as an anti-Israel operation that occurred around 00:45 local time (21:45 GMT). The attack appeared to come from the northeast, near Lake Tiberias, and aimed at the airport and various sites to the south of Damascus city.
Syrian air defense systems reportedly intercepted a large portion of the missiles, but some managed to breach defenses and caused casualties as well as material damage, a military source told SANA. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights corroborated that Israeli missiles targeted positions in the area of Al Ghasula farms near the Damascus airport and around Sayeda Zainab and Al Kiswa in the southern approaches to the capital. The NGO, which is based in London and maintains a broad network of observers in Syria, noted that this marks the twenty-fifth Israeli strike on Syrian territory this year so far, underscoring a sustained pattern of aerial activity in the northwest and other regions of the country.
The report also cited a separate incident at Aleppo airport, where the runway was damaged in the second attack on that facility within a week. As a result, authorities suspended operations there for three days. Israel regularly carries out such operations, a move it defends as necessary for national security given the presence of pro-Iranian and Lebanese armed groups allied with the regime that rules Syria under President Bashar al-Assad. Military observers in Damascus note that the continuing air campaigns are part of a broader regional confrontation, with rapid developments and shifting alliances complicating attempts at de-escalation.
Observers emphasize that the latest strikes come amid a long-running conflict that has drawn in multiple regional powers. Pro-government sources describe the actions as a direct response to perceived threats in the area, while international monitors stress the fragility of cease-fire arrangements and the persistent risk to civilian infrastructure and life. The government has repeatedly urged restraint and demanded international accountability for what it calls hostile actions from rival states, urging that such episodes be treated as violations of sovereignty. Analysts warn that each new volley of missiles raises the likelihood of further retaliation and the risk of unintended spillover into neighboring regions, complicating humanitarian efforts and stabilization plans for areas already scarred by years of war.