Syrian air defenses responded to "enemy targets" southwest of Damascus on Monday night, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.
According to the agency, only material damage was caused in strikes that targeted the Quneitra area in southern Syria. Al-Arabiya reported that injuries were caused in the strikes.
Shortly before the strikes in Quneitra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that airstrikes by unidentified aircraft had targeted sites on Monday morning belonging to pro-Iranian militias in Albukamal in the Deir Ezzor area of Syria near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Deaths and injuries were reported in the strikes, which damaged armories and other sites belonging to the militias.According to SOHR, about 15 pro-Iranian militants of Iraqi nationality were killed during the strikes in Albukamal.
IDF soldiers thwarted an attempt to place explosive devices near the Syrian border fence late Sunday night.
“Special forces that were carrying out an ambush near an IDF post in the southern Golan Heights spotted a cell with a number of terrorists planting explosive devices along the border. An IDF force and an aircraft opened fire together on the four-member cell and hit them,” the military said, adding that no soldiers were harmed in the incident.
“We don’t know who sent them,” said IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman on Monday. “There are a lot of players in Syria, some acting for Iran and some not. We cannot say right now that this is a Hezbollah attack, but we can’t rule it out either.”
Later on Monday, the army said that during an investigation of the scene, some 25 meters from the perimeter fence inside Israeli territory, weapons and a bag containing a number of explosive devices were found.
The foiled attack took place near an abandoned military post in the southern Golan Heights on the Syrian border where the IDF had operated the Mazor Ladach field clinic, which was opened in August 2017 and closed a year later, Zilberman told reporters.
Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.