The Syrian army has responded to "Israeli air aggression" in Aleppo, intercepting several missiles fired by Israeli jets, state television has said.



Syrian state media SANA, citing a military official, said the late-night attack targeted industrial sites in the northeast Sheikh Najar area of the war-ravaged city.

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Syrian army air defenses "downed a number of the hostile missiles," SANA reported. The military source said the suspected Israeli airstrikes caused only material damage. There were reports of power outages in the city.

No comment from Israel

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor with a network of activists on the ground, reported that the airstrikes targeted arms depots used by Iranian forces and the Syrian army. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard has a strong military presence in Aleppo, according to military experts, supporting local militias that have been fighting alongside the Syrian army.

Israel has made no immediate comment. If confirmed, the attack would be the first carried out by Israel in Syria since airstrikes near Damascus in January.

Israel has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria against Iranian and government targets.

Israel has said it will not allow Iranian forces and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah to entrench themselves in Syria, where they have been key backers of the Assad regime.

cw/cmk (AFP, AP, Reuters)

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