Damascus, Oct 22 (AP) Israel has carried out an airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus and its southern suburbs, in the first such attack in more than a month, state media reported.

It was not immediately clear what was the targets of the strikes that took place late Friday and whether there were casualties. Residents in the capital said they heard at least three explosions.

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Syrian state TV said Syrian air defences responded to “an Israeli aggression in the airspace of Damascus and southern areas." It gave no further details.

The pro-government Sham FM radio station said the attacks were close to the Damascus International Airport south of the capital.

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Friday's strikes were the first since September 17, when an Israeli attack on the Damascus International Airport and nearby military posts south of the Syrian capital killed five soldiers. That attack came days after an Israeli strike hit the main airport in the northern city of Aleppo.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

The Israeli strikes comes amid a wider shadow war between the country and Iran. The attacks on the airports in Damascus and Aleppo are over fears it was being used to funnel Iranian weaponry into the country. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)