DAMASCUS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Explosions were heard west of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Monday night, the pro-government Sham FM radio reported, without giving further details.
Other Syrian official media outlets have yet to comment on the report, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosions were caused as the Syrian air defenses intercepted suspected Israeli reconnaissance drones west of Damascus.
The UK-based watchdog group said the Israeli drones infiltrated the Syrian airspace and triggered the air defense system, adding that missiles fired by the system failed to shoot down the drones.
On Thursday, Israel hit the international airports in Syria's Damascus and Aleppo, causing damage to the runways and rendering the airports temporarily out of service.
On Saturday night, an Israeli missile attack struck the Aleppo International Airport for the second time within three days.
Syria has seen repeated Israeli strikes these days amid escalating tensions in the region as Israel is preparing for a massive ground operation in Gaza after a surprise attack launched by Hamas, the ruler of Gaza, prompted Israel's retaliatory attacks.
The ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, now in its tenth day, has killed about 4,000 people on both sides. ■
